Modified Occupational Questionnaire (MOQ)

The Modified Occupational Questionnaire is a yesterday time diary / time use assessment designed to collect information about meaningful use of time. It can be used for research and clinical applications

If Reasoning, Reflection, and Evidence-Based Practice are Essential to Practice, We Must Define Them

Reasoning, reflection, and evidence-based practice are considered essential to the delivery of high-quality occupational therapy services. These skills are highlighted in occupational therapy practice acts and educational standards. Unfortunately, although clearly integral to practice, reasoning, reflection, and evidence-based practice are rarely and inconsistently defined in the profession of occupational therapy. Because the terms reasoning, reflection, and evidence-based practice are used so frequently, and so often their definitions are assumed, occupational therapy students may be unclear on how they will be evaluated and, ultimately, what they will be expected to do in practice in relation to these skills. Through a review of literature, this paper identifies the need for clear conceptualizations of professional skills in occupational therapy and synthesizes the significance of reasoning, reflection, and evidence-based practice to both the education of occupational therapy students and the practice of occupational therapy. This Opinions in the Profession paper seeks to begin a discussion around actions required to advance occupational therapy as a profession through the process of clarifying how these skills are conceptualized, taught, and implemented to promote clear language in literature, education, and practice with the hope of positively impacting therapy services

Sampling Social Experiences in School: Feasibility of Experience Sampling Methodology on an iPlatform

This paper reports on a pilot study testing the feasibility of an app as a survey tool for exploring the social experiences of high school students who are vision impaired. The Participation in Everyday Life Survey app was designed for use with the Experience Sampling Method. This method uses in-the-moment surveys to understand individuals’ experiences of everyday activities and situations. Pilot testing shows the app to be usable and accessible for people with vision impairments and high school students who are sighted but who have other disabilities. This pilot study has also shown that the Experience Sampling Method has the potential to provide useful insights into the social experiences of high school students who are vision impaired

Recovery Assessment Scale - Domains and Stages (RAS-DS) Manual - Version 2

Manual to guide administration of the Recovery Assessment Scale - Domains and Stages (RAS-DS). The RAS-DS has 38 items or statements for the consumer to rate. It is a Likert scale with 4 rating categories for consumers to select from: “untrue”; “a bit true”; “mostly true” and “completely true”. The items have been divided into 4 recovery domains: Doing Things I Value (functional recovery); Looking Forward (personal recovery); Mastering My Illness (clinical recovery) and Connecting and Belonging (social recovery)

Low Levels of after School-Hours Social Interaction and Physical Activity of 5-7 Year Olds

As part of a cluster randomized controlled trial (Bundy et al., 2017), the after school-hours activities of 5-7 year old children were recorded by parents and other adult carers on four consecutive weekdays between 3:30pm-7:00pm. Records of time use showed most time was spent indoors in activities involving low levels of physical activity. The most-frequently-recorded activity was screen time, accounting for approximately one quarter of all activities. Higher levels of physical activity were reported when children were outdoors (19.5% of time) and/or with peers (9.58%). If an adult was present, highest activity levels of children occurred when the child was with a teacher/carer (6.07%). Although concern is frequently raised about children spending too much time in organized activities, these structured forms of out-of-school choices accounted for only 8.09% of recordings. The results of the current study strengthen the evidence base, supporting the need to optimise out-ofschool times with more developmentally important social and physical contexts. We discuss ways in which context may support or inhibit opportunities physical activity in after school-hours activities

Relationships Between Reasoning, Reflective Practice, and Evidence-Based Practice: Educators’ Perspectives

Many models of professional thinking exist within occupational therapy, but the relationships among reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice as essential skills for practice are not clear. Because occupational therapy educators impart these skills to students, understanding how educators conceptualize relationships among skills is necessary. We used Delphi methodology to explore educator conceptualizations of the relationships among clinical reasoning, professional reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice. Inclusion criteria were: an educator in an occupational therapy program for at least three years at the master’s level or higher, currently an occupational therapy educator based in the United States, and available across multiple survey rounds. Nine participants completed all three survey rounds. Participants agreed that the four skills are reciprocally related to one another, with some discrepancies surrounding differing conceptualizations of clinical and professional reasoning. Additionally, relationships were understood to be non-linear and complex. Continued exploration of how these essential skills are related to one another is needed to support future exploration of how they are integrated in occupational therapy education and how this influences practice

Defining Reasoning, Reflective Practice, and Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy Education: A Delphi Study

Reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice are essential skills for occupational therapy practitioners, but it is unclear how these skills are defined in occupational therapy education. We used Delphi methodology to explore educator conceptualizations of clinical reasoning, professional reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice. Eligible participants on the Delphi expert panel were required to have been an educator in an occupational therapy program for at least three years at the master’s level or higher, to be a current occupational therapy educator, based in the United States, and available across multiple survey rounds. Nine participants completed all three survey rounds. Among members of the expert panel there was continued moderate disagreement about terminology related to reasoning and there were some discrepancies between expert perspectives and the occupational therapy literature. However, these educators largely agreed on key features of the complex constructs. Consistency about the use of these terms will support both education and research related to essential professional skills

The Sydney Playground Project: popping the bubblewrap - unleashing the power of play: a cluster randomized controlled trial of a primary school playground-based intervention aiming to increase children\u27s physical activity and social skills

Background In the Westernised world, numerous children are overweight and have problems with bullying and mental health. One of the underlying causes for all three is postulated to be a decrease in outdoor free play. The aim of the Sydney Playground Project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of two simple interventions aimed to increase children\u27s physical activity and social skills. Methods/Design This study protocol describes the design of a 3-year cluster randomised controlled trial (CRCT), in which schools are the clusters. The study consists of a 13-week intervention and 1 week each of pre-and post-testing. We are recruiting 12 schools (6 control; 6 intervention), with 18 randomly chosen participants aged 5 to 7 years in each school. The two intervention strategies are: (1) Child-based intervention: Unstructured materials with no obvious play value introduced to the playground; and (2) Adult-based intervention: Risk reframing sessions held with parents and teachers with the aim of exploring the benefits of allowing children to engage in activities with uncertain outcomes. The primary outcome of the study, physical activity as measured by accelerometer counts, is assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Additional assessments include social skills and interactions, self-concept, after school time use and anthropometric data. Qualitative data (i.e., transcriptions of audio recordings from the risk reframing sessions and of interviews with selected teacher and parent volunteers) are analysed to understand their perceptions of risk in play. The control schools have recess as usual. In addition to outcome evaluation, regular process evaluation sessions are held to monitor fidelity to the treatment. Discussion These simple interventions, which could be adopted in every primary school, have the potential of initiating a self-sustaining cycle of prevention for childhood obesity, bullying and mental ill health

Virtual Risk Management—Exploring Effects of Childhood Risk Experiences through Innovative Methods (ViRMa) for Primary School Children in Norway: Study Protocol for the ViRMa Project

Research indicates that risky play benefits children’s risk assessment and risk management skills and offers several positive health effects such as resilience, social skills, physical activity, well-being, and involvement. There are also indications that the lack of risky play and autonomy increases the likelihood of anxiety. Despite its well-documented importance, and the willingness of children to engage in risky play, this type of play is increasingly restricted. Assessing long-term effects of risky play has been problematic because of ethical issues with conducting studies designed to allow or encourage children to take physical risks with the potential of injury.Virtual Risk Management—Exploring Effects of Childhood Risk Experiences through Innovative Methods (ViRMa) for Primary School Children in Norway: Study Protocol for the ViRMa ProjectpublishedVersio

Neural Foundations of Ayres Sensory Integration

Sensory integration, now trademarked as Ayres Sensory Integration® or ASI, is based on principles of neuroscience and provides a framework for understanding the contributions of the sensory and motor foundations of human behavior. The theory and practice of ASI continues to evolve as greater understanding of the neurobiology of human behavior emerges. In this paper we examine core constructs of ASI identified in the seminal work of Dr. Jean Ayres, and present current neuroscience research that underlies the main patterns of sensory integration function and dysfunction. We consider how current research verifies and clarifies Ayres’ propositions by describing functions of the vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile sensory systems, and exploring their relationships to ocular, postural, bilateral integration, praxis, and sensory modulation. We close by proposing neuroplasticity as the mechanisms underlying change as a result of ASI intervention