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Description
This capstone project was completed at Horn and Associates in Rehabilitation in Lexington, Ky. The primary ACOTE areas of focus included education, advocacy, and clinical practice skills. The goals of this project were to identify and fill gaps in knowledge related to the role of occupational therapy in feeding therapy in the pediatric population, support interdisciplinary collaboration, and create educational handouts to advocate and highlight the importance of occupational therapy in the realm of feeding.
A needs assessment was completed prior to completion of this capstone project in order to identify a need. For this needs assessment, I completed a variety of things including: literature review, in-person observations, questionnaire surveys, and collaboration with other therapy providers in addition to a 12-week fieldwork placement at this site. Findings from the needs assessment found a significant gap in knowledge related to what the role of occupational therapy holds in feeding therapy, anxiety and fear in parents/caregivers, and highlights a need for interdisciplinary collaboration. This capstone project allowed me to identify gaps in knowledge, collaborate with other therapists, create educational handouts, collaborate with parents/caregivers, and extend my existing knowledge and skills.
Effectiveness of this capstone project was evaluated through collaboration with parents and caregivers via in session conversations and observations across the span of 14 weeks as well as results from a self-developed questionnaire given to parents and caregivers. Educational infographics were created and distributed onsite to support continued education and advocacy for parents/caregivers as well as other professionals.
Leadership was demonstrated during this capstone project by placing myself in a position to be the facilitator of communication between parents/caregivers and other professionals within the primary care of their child. I utilized the foundational skills to address emotions of fear and anxiety in new parents/caregivers at evaluation to advocate and highlight the importance of the role of an occupational therapist. This capstone advanced occupational science and therapy by reinforcing the role of occupational therapy, supporting the use of clinical reasoning skills, use of knowledge of pediatric development, and highlighting sensory-regulation.
Graduation Date
5-2026
Keywords
feeding therapy, sensory integration, occupational therapy, education, advocacy, pediatrics
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy
Degree Type
Book
Site Mentor
Amanda Dyer, MS, OTR/L, CIMI, CBC
Comments
Link to Presentation: https://youtu.be/vzas23rDvvc