Occupational performance outcomes from a summer camp for children with sensory modulation disorder were examined. Sensory integration based programming was incorporated into a one week summer day camp that featured therapeutic riding. Using a modified interview format, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was administered to camp participants and their families two weeks prior to and one week after camp. Ten families participated in the study. Comparison of the families' ratings revealed a significant and positive change in the children's behaviors. The COPM was highly useful and provided the opportunity to examine the impact of the camp experience from an individual and occupational perspective.
Children with developmental coordination disorder in this study were able to implicitly recognize and use a perceptual cue to enhance their performance on a computer game. Strategies that foster implicit learning may be relevant to occupational therapy intervention.
The purpose of this study was to examine the behavioral states of individual children for evidence of responsiveness within and without a multisensory environment (MSE). Three children in the age range of 3-10 years with severe multiple disabilities participated in the study. A single-system ABAB design was used. Participants' behavioral states, identified by indicators of alertness and responsiveness to context, were observed. Two participants demonstrated no change in their behavioral states with or without the MSE, suggesting that the environment did not have an effect on their responsiveness. One participant demonstrated a decrease in self-directed movement and an increase in visual attention with movement toward the MSE suggesting a more interactive shift in this participant's response to the environment. When symbolic or consistent methods of communication are absent, observation of behavioral state may provide occupational therapists an objective means of insight into the experiences of children with severe disabilities.
This is the first of two papers that explore a role that occupational therapy can play in supporting children with reading challenges. Part I presents the grounding framework for an occupation and participation approach to reading intervention (OPARI) and serves to introduce the clinical application of the approach presented in Part II. In this paper, reading is defined as an occupation in daily life. Different perspectives in occupational therapy, education, cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience were examined to support a holistic, participation approach to reading. The Occupational Adaptation model (Schkade & Schultz, 2003) is proposed as a guiding framework to describe the assumptions and premises of the OPARI. Lastly, the five essential components of the OPARI are identified as a basis for how the OPARI may be applied in clinical practice.
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