Presentations

Poster Coming Soon!

Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L

Kathryn Keinholz, OTD/S ‘24

Erin Furney, OTD/S ’24

Abstract:

Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive skills that allow a person to self-direct their behavior toward the pursuit of goals and are foundational for meaningful and productive occupations (Barkley, 2020). In childhood and adolescence, a disruption to the development of these skills – also called executive dysfunction — is related to many common conditions, such as learning disabilities, depression, anxiety, stress, adverse childhood experiences, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (Zelazo, 2020). A growing body of literature suggests that mitigating performance problems associated with executive dysfunction is possible through a top-down, compensatory approach, where cognition is addressed in context (Toglia & Foster, 2021). Additionally, because of the dynamic nature of development, metacognitive interventions designed for adults cannot be directly translated to the pediatric population.

This poster posits guidelines for occupational therapy (OT) groups when supporting functional cognition of young people with executive dysfunction, such that the guidelines can be understood and applied by practitioners to improve their clients’ occupational performance. A review of leading theories and evidence from a variety of disciplines, including neuropsychology and OT, informed the development of these guidelines. Importantly, functional and performance-based evaluations should be prioritized, reflecting a commitment to strengths-based, client-centered, and neurodiversity-affirming practices. Therapeutic groups are recommended to both increase access of functional cognitive supports to increasing numbers of youth receiving EF-related diagnoses (Abdelnour, Jansen, & Gold, 2022) and to utilize the benefits of social learning. Additionally, clients’ caregivers should collaboratively engage in EF education and support strategies. Finally, metacognitive principles should be used in combination with direct instruction on and opportunities for practicing EF strategies.

Poster Coming Soon!

Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L

Kathryn Keinholz, OTD/S ‘24

Erin Furney, OTD/S ’24

Abstract:

Functional cognition (FC) describes how a person incorporates metacognition, executive function, and performance skills and patterns to participate in their daily life (Giles et al., 2020). For children and youth with a variety of diagnoses (e.g. attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and depression), development of these cognitive skills can be disrupted, causing significant performance challenges (Zelazo, 2020). Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are uniquely positioned to support FC, and intervention approaches utilizing metacognitive principles in context have been found successful with pediatric populations in one-on-one sessions (Toglia & Foster, 2021). Applying these evidence-based approaches to group settings can increase the capacity of OTPs to serve the growing number of children with cognitive diagnoses (Abdelnour et al., 2022), as well as incorporate opportunities for social learning. Because of the need for pediatric cognitive support programs and benefits of group interventions, Train Your Brain (TYB) was developed as a functional cognitive habilitation program for children and youth with executive dysfunction.

TYB is a half-day, week-long summer camp for children and youth ages 9-14 that aims to support participants in developing and using strategies that improve their occupational performance. Campers learn cognitive strategies through mini-lessons and then apply and practice the strategies through games and STEM projects. TYB developers integrate themes from cognitive behavioral and occupation-based models, as well as metacognitive intervention approaches to guide campers’ learning. Continuous process improvement and emerging evidence have informed the ongoing development of this program, which may serve as an example for future occupational therapy practice and research. Participants will explore opportunities to incorporate similar techniques in their own practice settings.

Poster Coming Soon!

Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L

Seth Lewis, OTD/S ’25

Taryn Brown, OTD/S ’25

Abstract:

Executive functioning (EF) skills are critical for intentional action and complex social functioning (Abdelnour et al., 2022). Difficulties with EF skills accompany many childhood diagnoses, can negatively affect occupational performance, and diagnosis rates are increasing (Abdelnour et al., 2022). Because metacognitive training has been shown to be effective for children with executive skill challenges (Hahn-Markowitz et al., 2020), we sought to develop a therapy group for families to meet a growing need. This project aimed to develop, implement, and assess the feasibility of a pilot metacognitive training program to support co-management of functional cognition in children and caregivers.

Formative evaluation of a week-long cognitive summer camp developed by the last author yielded a need for longer-term support and increased caregiver training. MasterMinds Small Group was then created to support caregiver-child dyads/triads. The pilot program included 3 families (two dyads, one triad; children ages 9-12) attending five two-hour sessions spread over six weeks. All children had attended the last author’s cognitive skills summer camp. Programming used metacognitive strategies guided by the Multicontext (Toglia & Foster, 2021) and Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance approaches (Dawson et al., 2017) and original content. Process evaluation occurred throughout program implementation to match programming to participants’ needs. At program conclusion, impact evaluation was performed and included qualitative caregiver feedback, child’s cognitive strategy use per caregiver report (pre/post), and child satisfaction. Overall caregiver and child satisfaction was high (9/10 and 3.5/4, respectively). Child cognitive strategy use showed clinical improvement, though this is interpreted with caution. These data support the feasibility of the MasterMinds Small Group metacognitive training program for a small cohort with support for increasing program capacity.

Poster Coming Soon!

Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L

Kathryn Keinholz, OTD/S ‘24

Abstract:

School-based occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) and educators agree that interprofessional collaboration is valuable, and research shows that collaboration among students’ team members is crucial for student success (Edick et al., 2023). However, teachers overwhelmingly report that they would like to learn from and collaborate more with OTPs (Truong & Hodgetts, 2017). One way to increase meaningful collaboration is through professional development (PD) activities. The Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) says that OTPs have a role in providing “professional development, preparation, and training programs with teachers and other staff” (AOTA, 2017), suggesting that OTPs not only have the opportunity but the responsibility to lead PD for educators. Therefore, OTPs can strengthen collaborative efforts with educators and further support students by designing and leading effective PD activities.

This presentation is designed to equip participants with knowledge and strategies for creating, implementing, and evaluating PD for educators, as illustrated by an executive function PD series provided to teachers of the Deaf (TOD). Entitled Supporting Executive Functioning (SEF), the program was designed through an iterative process rooted in principles of backwards course design and adult learning theory. SEF included five video modules with corresponding handouts, which TOD watched together and reflected on through anonymous surveys. Recommendations for designing PD for teachers include building relationships with participants, understanding the needs of students and staff, identifying learning objectives, designing action-focused materials, presenting ideas in multiple formats, and eliciting and incorporating feedback. Presentation participants will reflect on these suggestions and identify opportunities for building collaborative relationships with educators in their own practice settings.

Link to Presentation

Sarah Cheatham Oberle, OTD, OTR/L

Kathryn Keinholz, OTD/S ‘24