CHCS - Perspectives - Summer/Fall 2014

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER–FALL 2014 30 Clinical practice is a strong focus of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program, but students also engage in re- search as the occupational therapy pro- fession moves toward its Centennial Vision, which states that “We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven , and evi- dence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meet- ing society’s occupational needs.* Students in the Master of Occupa- tional Therapy Program work in small, faculty-mentored groups over the course of two semesters, during which they design, execute, and report on a research project. The projects vary de- pending on the research interests of the faculty members and this year included the following: • Exploration of Hoarding Prevalence from the Perspective of Home Health Professionals • Resiliency and Creativity of Older Adults Aging in Place • Assessment of Rebuilding Together Effectiveness and Satisfaction • Eating and Feeding Behaviors of Children with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders • Parent Stress and Mealtime Behaviors with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders • Influence of Wheelchair Seating and Positioning Clinic • Utility of the Sensory Profile Within a Hispanic Population • Effect of Self-Regulation Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder • Inter-Instrument Reliability of Two-Hand Dynamometers • Examination of Life Satisfaction of Parents with Children with Disability The culmination of the project is dis- semination of the scholarly work in poster form during a collaborative re- search symposium, which is coordinated each spring between the occupational therapy programs at NSU, Barry Uni- versity, and Florida International Uni- versity and alternately hosted by the participating universities. The 2014 Re- search Symposium was hosted by NSU on April 16 and sponsored by Region 7 of the Florida Occupational Therapy Association. Scholarship dissemination continues for some projects as the work is submitted for presentation at state and national conferences and for publi- cation in journals. Attendees included students and fac- ulty members of all three universities, as well as local practitioners who earned continuing education credits. In addi- tion to hearing about a wide range of occupational therapy research projects and results, attendees received news and updates related to pending legislation af- fecting occupational therapy practice. OCCUPATIOnAL THeRAPY ReseARCH sYMPOsIUM Hosted by NSU 1. Class of 2014 students Alexandra Arguelies, Jayson Abraham, Jeanette Czarnik, and Lauren Athas present their research on aging in place. 2. nicole quint, Dr. OT, OTR/L, assistant professor, mentored class of 2014 students sara Weinberg, Mina Pitello, selin Islamogglu, Jackie De Peralta, and Justin Calpe, who shared their study results on self-regulation in school-aged children. 3. Class of 2014 students ericka Calabro, esperanza Burks, Katherine Bell, nicole LaTesta, emily Rodak, and Michelle LaTempa conducted research under the supervision of Kristin Winston, Ph.D., OTR/L, program director and assistant professor, on parent stress and mealtime in families with children with and without autism spectrum disorders. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Fort Lauderdale *(AOTA, 2014 [ http://www.aota.org/en/AboutAOTA/Centennial-Vision.aspx] ) By Wendy stav, Ph.D., OTR/L, Chair of Occupational Therapy Program Fort Lauderdale 1 2 3