Beyond videoconferencing: enhancing remote home assessments with 3D modeling technology.

Occupational therapists in the Veterans Health Administration have transitioned from in-person to videoconferencing for home assessments, benefiting Veterans living in remote and rural areas. However, videoconferencing has limitations, including restricted field of view and poor video quality, affecting hazard identification accuracy. This study aims to introduce and evaluate a three-dimensional (3D) model as an alternative technology for remote home assessments.

Stigma and Stigma Resilience: Role of the Undergraduate and the Campus Environment.

Rationale: Stigma permeates disability experiences and compounds disability-related challenges.

Objective: Identify individual and environmental factors of stigmatizing experiences of college students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methodology: A qualitative descriptive design was used with a thematic analysis of 30 transcripts from group discussions among four cohorts of undergraduates with LD/ADHD ( = 52).

Whole Health coaching to rural Veterans through telehealth: Advantages, gaps, and opportunities.

Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is one of the largest providers of telehealth in the United States and continues to lead the way in transforming healthcare services. VHA has been implementing its Whole Health (WH) initiative since 2018, a proactive practice empowering patients to take charge of their health and well-being. A key facilitator of the WH initiative is the WH coach who partners with Veterans to achieve their health-related goals.

Disability-Informed Graduate-Student Mentors Foster Co-Regulation for Undergraduates in STEM with Learning and Attention Disabilities.

As young adults transition into adulthood they must develop effective self-regulation techniques to help them navigate the heightened expectations of independence placed upon them. During this challenging developmental stage, mentors and other supportive individuals can facilitate co-regulation processes that help young adults reach self-regulation. This qualitative research identifies and characterizes supportive processes of regulation that graduate student mentors engaged in as part of their mentorship interactions with undergraduate mentees with learning disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (LD/ADHD).

Meeting the Needs of Rural Veterans: A Qualitative Evaluation of Whole Health Coaches' Expanded Services and Support during COVID-19.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perspectives of Whole Health (WH) coaches at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) on meeting the needs of rural Veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation design employed a qualitative description approach, employing focus groups and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of WH coaches across the VHA system. Fourteen coaches who work with rural Veterans participated in either one of three focus groups, individual interviews, or both.

Providers' Shift to Telerehabilitation at the U.S. Veterans Health Administration During COVID-19: Practical Applications.

Telerehabilitation provides Veteran patients with necessary rehabilitation treatment. It enhances care continuity and reduces travel time for Veterans who face long distances to receive care at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical facility. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a sudden shift to telehealth-including telerehabilitation, where a paucity of data-driven guidelines exist that are specific to the practicalities entailed in telerehabilitation implementation.

Exploration of Relationships among Clinical Gastrointestinal Indicators and Social and Sensory Symptom Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are associated with co-morbidities such as gastrointestinal (GI) symptomatology, which in the absence of known causes are potential indicators of gut microbiota that may influence behavior. This study's purpose was to explore relationships among clinical GI indicators-diet, abdominal pain, and stool status-and ASD symptom severity, specifically social and sensory symptoms. Participants were 33 children with ASD, 3 to 16 years.

Practical Considerations in Qualitative Health Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced both quantitative and qualitative health researchers to adapt and strategize data collection strategies without causing any harm to the participants or researchers. This has resulted in utilizing various types of strategies such as online surveys and synchronous virtual platforms such as Zoom and Webex. This transition from face-to-face to synchronous online platforms has helped in increasing coverage as well as reaching participants who are otherwise unreachable.

(Dis)Ability-informed Mentors Support Occupational Performance for College Students with Learning Disabilities and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders through Problem Solving and a Focus on Strengths.

Introduction: Students with learning disabilities (LD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (LD/ADHD) are well-represented on college campuses. However, they experience challenges to meeting occupational and role expectations associated with being in college. Mentors serve as natural supports for young people within college environments.

Serving Rural Veterans with Disabilities: A National Survey of Centers for Independent Living.

This study comprises a systematic national examination of how Centers for Independent Living can and do support Veteran consumers, especially those living in rural communities. This research provides contextualized understanding of rural Veteran needs for community-based services and resources available through Centers for Independent Living. A survey was administered to the leadership of 383 Centers for Independent Living throughout the United States, the majority of which have rural catchment areas and serve rural Veterans through both main and satellite offices.

Telerehabilitation for Rural Veterans: A Qualitative Assessment of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation.

Purpose: Telerehabilitation (TR) is increasingly being used to meet the rehabilitation needs of individuals living in rural areas. Nevertheless, reports on TR implementation for rural patients remain limited. As part of a broader evaluation, this study investigated barriers and facilitators to the implementation of a national TR program to meet the needs of rural Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients.

Disability advocacy messaging and conceptual links to underlying disability identity development among college students with learning disabilities and attention disorders.

Background: Learning disabilities and attention disorders (LD/AD) are highly prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions that influence developmental trajectories and whose impacts exist throughout the life course. Self-advocacy skills are critical for college students with LD/AD, which are underpinned by understanding of self and one's disability.

Objective: This study examined disability advocacy messaging included in projects created by college students with LD/AD, compared patterns in disability messaging to existing disability identity models, and explored changes in disability messaging during receipt of holistic campus-based LD/AD supports.

Strategies for Coping with Time-Related and Productivity Challenges of Young People with Learning Disabilities and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are characterized by neurological differences that result in difficulties meeting learning and productivity expectations. Young people with LD and ADHD experience difficulties in self-managing academic, social, daily living, and health/wellness demands. Students with LD/ADHD must work longer and harder than peers, which makes managing time and productivity a critical skill for school success.

HRQoL in Barth Syndrome: Agreement between Child Self-reports and Parent Proxy-reports and Its Relationship to Parental HRQoL.

Purpose: Barth syndrome is an X-linked rare disorder that typically affects only males. This study investigates 1) agreement between child self-reports and parent proxy-reports of HRQoL in boys with Barth syndrome and 2) relationship between parental HRQoL and parent proxy-reports of HRQoL for the child.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-eight boys with Barth syndrome and their parents participated in this study.

Beyond Academics: A Model for Simultaneously Advancing Campus-Based Supports for Learning Disabilities, STEM Students' Skills for Self-Regulation, and Mentors' Knowledge for Co-regulating and Guiding.

Learning disabilities are highly prevalent on college campuses, yet students with learning disabilities graduate at lower rates than those without disabilities. Academic and psychosocial supports are essential for overcoming challenges and for improving postsecondary educational opportunities for students with learning disabilities. A holistic, multi-level model of campus-based supports was established to facilitate culture and practice changes at the institutional level, while concurrently bolstering mentors' abilities to provide learning disability-knowledgeable support, and simultaneously creating opportunities for students' personal and interpersonal development.

Clinical impact of early diagnosis of autism on the prognosis and parent-child relationships.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a lifelong condition that usually appears in late infancy or early childhood, and is characterized by social and communication deficits that impede optimal functioning. Despite widespread research and greater public awareness, ASD has an unclear etiology and no known cure, making it difficult to acquire accurate and timely diagnoses. In addition, once an ASD diagnosis is made, parents find it challenging to navigate the healthcare system and determine which interventions are most effective and appropriate for their child.

Social networks and participation with others for youth with learning, attention, and autism spectrum disorders.

Background: Social participation involves activities and roles providing interactions with others, including those within their social networks.

Purpose: This study sought to characterize social networks and participation with others for 36 youth, ages 11 to 16 years, with (n = 19) and without (n = 17) learning disability, attention disorder, or high-functioning autism.

Method: Social networks were measured using methods of personal network analysis.

Mixed-Method Exploration of Social Network Links to Participation.

The people who regularly interact with an adolescent form that youth's social network (SN), which may impact participation. We investigated the relationship of SNs to participation using personal network analysis and individual interviews. The sample included 36 youth, aged 11 to 16 years.

Taste perception and sensory sensitivity: Relationship to feeding problems in boys with Barth Syndrome.

Background: Feeding problems are common in boys with Barth syndrome and may contribute to the population's propensity for growth delay and muscle weakness. The purpose of this study was to quantify and describe these feeding issues and examine altered taste perception and sensory sensitivity as contributing factors.

Methodology: A cross-sectional, two-group comparison design was used to examine feeding preferences and behaviors, chemical taste perception, and sensory sensitivities in fifty boys with (n=24) and without (n=26) Barth ages 4-17 years.

Holistic Needs of University Students with Invisible Disabilities: A Qualitative Study.

Aim: To inform rehabilitation professionals' role in supporting transition to higher education through identification and description of disability related needs experienced by university students.

Methods: Participants were recruited from a large research-intensive university in the southeastern United States and included 13 students eligible for university disability services, 9 university personnel, and 1 parent of a university student with a disability. Disabilities of study participants were invisible; all but one chose to disclose diagnostic information.

A review of gluten- and casein-free diets for treatment of autism: 2005-2015.

Background: The gluten free, casein free (GFCF) diet is heralded by strong anecdotal parental reports to greatly improve and even "cure" symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Yet to date, little conclusive empirical evidence exists supporting its use.

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the state of the recent evidence regarding use of GFCF diet for treatment of individuals with ASD.

Review of occupational therapy intervention research in the practice area of children and youth 2009-2013.

PURPOSE. We conducted a systematic review examining the extent to which pediatric intervention research recently published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy reflects occupational therapy's holistic occupation-based tenets. METHOD.

A mixed-methods investigation of sensory response patterns in Barth syndrome: a clinical phenotype?

Barth syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects approximately 1/500,000 boys each year. While treatment of medical complications associated with Barth is of primary importance, there is a concomitant need to look at behavioral and clinical features of the disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of atypical sensory processing in 21 boys with Barth syndrome and to explore if phenotypic patterns of sensory responsiveness may be useful in early diagnosis.

Review of occupational therapy research in the practice area of children and youth.

We conducted a systematic review focusing on articles in the occupational therapy practice category of Children and Youth published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy over the 2-yr period of 2009-2010. We used the frameworks of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and Positive Youth Development (PYD) to explore occupational therapy research progress toward the goals of the Centennial Vision. We organized 46 research articles by research type and classified them within these two frameworks.