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INTRODUCTION Persons who become displaced due to situations such as war and natural disasters face extreme challenges in maintaining their occupational repertoires. This study aimed to explore the occupational lives of Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey. METHODS This mixed method study used a cross-sectional design with a predominantly qualitative focus. Syrians living under temporary protection in Turkey were interviewed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to identify their perceived performance problems in the areas of self-care, productivity, and leisure. Additional probes were used to explore participants' reasoning for the choice of occupations and scoring, and occupational changes since arriving in Turkey. Socio-demographics were collected on the participants' age, gender, educational level, marital status, monthly house budget, social security, and number of persons within the household. Thematic analysis was used to undercover themes from the qualitative data. RESULTS Thirty Syrians living under temporary protection in Turkey in Hatay province participated in this study (mean age: 29.66 ± 7.97 years [range = 18 to 50 years]): 16 women (mean age: 28.64 ± 8.04 years) and 14 men (mean age: 30.56 ± 8.05 years). Participants identified more significant problems in their performance of productive and leisure occupations than in self-care occupations. The following themes emerged: (a) having a house of our own: meeting basic needs and completing activities of daily living; (b) no money for shopping: past everyday occupations now luxuries; (c) feeling valued and important: having the ability but no job; (d) living day to day: Education, career, and marriage on hold; and (e) enjoyment in life: leaving behind family, friends, and occupational spaces. CONCLUSION Syrians living in temporary protection in Turkey experience uncertainty within their occupational lives. Participants were able to meet their basic needs; however, precarity of employment limited their participation in previous occupations contracting their repertoires.

Introduction Canadian occupational therapists are employed as case managers on assertive community treatment (ACT) teams to support community living for individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses. In this position, occupational therapists act primarily as generalists, typically attending appointments with clients, supervising medication adherence, supporting basic living needs, and managing client crises. Occupational therapists may also provide psychotherapy and coping skill groups, as well as profession-specific practices, such as skills training. Exploring how ACT occupational therapists describe their perceived ideal practice may support transformation in long-standing, occupational therapy practices on ACT teams. Method This qualitative, interpretive description study involved 11 Canadian ACT team occupational therapists in one individual, semi-structured in-depth interview using an interview guide containing open-ended questions. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify themes pertaining to therapists’ descriptions of their perceived ideal occupational therapy practice on ACT teams. Results Three themes emerged: (a) Engaging in practice “with intention”; (b) Finding the space for occupational therapy practice; and (c) Supporting clients in their recovery to find their best occupational self. Conclusions The findings highlight practice possibilities for occupational therapist working on ACT teams and provide a foundation for advocating for better use of specific occupational therapy practices within community mental health settings.

Introduction Children with mobility difficulties are thought to share similar participation repertoires due to the impact of their physical impairments. However, with these children, as with all others, individual differences and contexts should mediate occupational repertoires and experiences, resulting in participation differences, at least in part. This study aimed to explore the occupational repertoires of children with mobility difficulties and their view of their occupational participation. Methods Five children with mobility difficulties were assessed using the paediatric activity card sort, to establish their occupational repertoires. Semi-structured interviews were used to understand the children’s occupational participation. Findings Our findings suggest that children with mobility issues are more likely to participate in quiet occupations, but not exclusively. The children defined participation in their own way. Conclusion The knowledge about how children with mobility difficulties understand participation in occupation can help occupational therapists to establish goals with their clients and personalise interventions.

Introduction An occupational repertoire is the array of occupations that an individual has the perceived capacity to perform at a specific point in time. The Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent is a new tool that uses parent report to identify the occupations children can and do perform and their interests in and opportunities for doing them. This study aimed to test the face validity, comprehensiveness, and internal consistency of the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent as a tool to measure the occupational repertoire of children aged between 2 and 12 years. Method Twenty-nine occupational therapists completed an online questionnaire about the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent, and 27 parents completed it and then provided feedback via a structured interview. Descriptive statistics, content analysis, and the content validity index guided data analysis. Results Participants view the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent as practical, simple, and supportive of occupation-centred practice to optimize children’s development of a meaningful repertoire. Overall, self-care occupations were rated highly relevant. Lower-scoring occupations were those perceived as performed only by older children, nonessential for children with disabilities, or culturally unimportant. Conclusion Results indicate value in the further development of the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure – Parent and validate that it asks relevant questions to understand a child’s performance, engagement, and opportunities, leading to optimal repertoire development.

Social distancing, a critical measure to manage COVID-19 transmission, is consistently associated with social isolation, a major health issue. Social isolation negatively impacts mental and physical health, particularly among older adults. A pre-post comparison study examined changes in cognitive function and perceived health among 36 community-dwelling Brazilian older adults, assessed pre and post social distancing measures enacted due to COVID-19. A significant increase in cognitive function was found 1 month into social distancing ( M = 16.3, p = .002, power = 0.88), with declining scores for vitality ( M = −29.3, p < .001, power = 0.99) and mental health ( M = −38.1, p < .001, power = 0.99), particularly among participants who lived alone ( t = −3.8, p = .001). Older adults exhibit rapid changes in perceived health when excluded from participation in social activities. Health care professionals should consider holistic approaches when addressing the impacts of social isolation on this population.

A small scale qualitative project, undertaken by an interdisciplinary domestic violence research group involving academic researchers and research assistants, with colleagues from Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS), investigated youth aggression and violence against parents. Following the literature review, data was generated through several research conversations with young people (n = 2), through semi-structured interviews with mothers (n = 3) and practitioners (n = 5), and through a practitioner focus group (n = 8). Thematic analysis and triangulation of the data from parents, practitioners and young people, elicited interconnected and complex overarching themes. Young people could be both victim and perpetrator. The witnessing or experiencing of domestic aggression and violence raised the concept of ‘bystander children’. The impact of young people experiencing familial violence was underestimated by parents. For practitioners, the effects of working with domestic violence was shown to be significant - both positively and negatively.

Background. Foundational to the occupational therapy profession is the belief that engagement in occupation is health promoting; however, this belief fails to account for occupational engagement that may be risky or illness producing. Consensus regarding the nature of the relationship between occupation and health has yet to be achieved. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive description of how the relationship between occupation and health and well-being is discussed within the occupational therapy and occupational science literature. Method. The methodological framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley served as the basis for this scoping review of the occupational therapy and occupational science literature. Findings. One hundred and twelve articles were identified as meeting the criteria for inclusion. The dominant discourse portrays the relationship between occupation and health as positive. Implications. The broader literature suggests that occupational engagement can have both positive and negative effects on health and well-being. As such, the reconceptualization of the relationship between occupation and health and well-being is warranted to enable occupational therapists to practise in a more client-centred manner.

There is currently little research concerning occupations that may be detrimental rather than beneficial to health and well-being. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003) to explore one young man's experience of binge drinking; an occupation typically associated with varying health risks. Viewing his subjective account of binge drinking through the lens of Wilcock's (1993) theory of the human need for occupation, it could be regarded as an occupation to maintain aspects of health and well-being and therefore have some constructive elements. This study lends qualified support to Wilcock's hypothesis, suggesting that the relationship between occupation, health and well-being is far more complex than much of the earlier occupational science research proposed.

Aim This methodological paper outlines a participatory and reflexive research approach in the context of in‐depth, small‐scale and preliminary qualitative research conversations with a vulnerable population. Developing a participatory and reflexive methodology The project involved developing in‐depth research conversations with three mothers and their children who had experienced domestic violence. Underpinned by poststructural feminism and relational ethics, a participatory approach to facilitate informal, nondefensive, participant‐centred conversational spaces for the women and children was developed. Creating both the relational medium and the dialogical processes through which to engage with the women and children prompted multiple and complex challenges for the research team. Some members of the research team had prior experience of domestic violence, generating implications for ethical and reflexive research practice. Implications for research practice The study highlights the complexities and challenges of developing a participatory approach with vulnerable populations including the quandaries faced, the importance of critical reflexivity during in‐depth qualitative inquiry and the value of utilising a project steering group to support research governance. All members of the research team were emotionally impacted by the research work and the relational engagement with participants. A collaborative, peer‐supervisory approach to support the researchers, the research processes – and, ultimately, the participants – was essential. Two case vignettes are included to exemplify researcher experiences.

Occupational engagement (OE) has been presented as a core construct in occupational therapy; however, its broad conceptualization and confounding definitions are problematic. Clarifying the construct of OE would help occupational therapists to explicate the nature of their practice. The purpose of this study was to explore occupational therapists’ perspectives of the construct of OE. Qualitative descriptive methodology was used to collect data using semistructured interviews with nine practicing occupational therapists in the Greater Toronto Area. Qualitative content analysis, using an inductive approach, was employed to uncover emerging categories. Participants spoke about transitioning from therapeutic engagement to OE with a client by following a client’s path of choice. The essential elements and influencers of OE were highlighted, and the relationship between OE and occupational performance was discussed. The findings provide an initial understanding of essential elements necessary to enable clients to initiate engagement in therapy and then, subsequently, in occupations of their choice.

The purpose of this study was to explore children's everyday outdoor occupations in context. A naturalistic observational approach was employed to record the observed outdoor occupations of children in Mbarara, Uganda. Thematic analysis, through pattern formation and constant comparative analysis, was used to uncover categories and themes in the data. Patterns emerged from the data revealing two overarching categories containing three themes: 1) types of occupations: play, work and nothing in particular and 2) characteristics of occupational engagement: being in peer groups, having fun and using materials in the environment. The themes reveal that children's occupations are both similar and different across minority and majority world cultures and that children's occupations are contextually situated and flexible in nature. A limitation of the study was that the observational approach made identification of children's ages subjective. Subsequent studies should explore children's experiences of occupational engagement using interviews and focus groups. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this scoping review was to describe the characteristics and features of substance abuse interventions for women in North America and discuss the findings from an occupational perspective. METHOD. A scoping review was conducted to examine North American peer-reviewed literature published between 2001 and 2014. Four databases were searched using terms related to intervention, substance abuse, and women only. Descriptive statistics of categorical groupings were used to describe the data sources and characteristics and features of the interventions. RESULTS. Forty-two articles met the inclusion criteria, with the majority citing a harm-reduction approach and using multifaceted interventions with various targets for change. CONCLUSION. Substance abuse interventions for women are typically multifaceted and follow a harm-reduction philosophy. Further research into the efficacy of interventions that more specifically target occupation beyond substance use is needed.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a research method gaining in popularity, particularly in health psychology and related fields. Derived from phenomenology, as the name suggests, it has potential for occupational therapy as an underpinning framework for research. This method was developed to enable researchers to provide participants with the opportunity to describe their perceptions of their lived experiences, which are subsequently interpreted by the researcher. A two-stage data process allows participants to make sense of their own world while the researcher attempts to make sense of participants' lived experiences. IPA acknowledges that researchers cannot gain complete access to the participant's world and that each participant is an expert in his or her field. However, it does recognise that the researcher's analysis of this world is a dynamic and interpretative process. During the research analysis process, themes are identified and connected and followed by higher-order interpretation. Data can be collected using a variety of methods, including interviews, case studies and focus groups. This paper describes the potential of IPA as an appropriate and worthy methodology for occupational therapists and, therefore, an important adjunct to the occupational therapy evidence base.

Teachers who differentiate learning with meaningful tasks for students at all levels can keep their entire class engaged.

Although child development has been examined by various disciplines for over a century, very little is known specifically about how children's occupations develop over time. In order to begin to address this significant gap in the literature, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine children's doings. Twelve in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with members of six families: eight girls aged 6 to 12, and six parents. Two themes emerged from the data: reasons for engagement in or why children do the things they do (opportunities, resources, motivations, parental views and values), and the process by which children's occupations come to be established (innate drive, exposure, initiation, continuation, transformation, cessation, and outcomes). The Process for Establishing Children's Occupations (PECO), comprised of specific influences and process stages, is offered as a preliminary model for understanding the process of and influences on occupational development.

This is an excellent, engaging and informative book and is well worth buying. It has a unique style which combines research theory and practice with the art and fundamentals of psychotherapy. It is...

Typically, the concepts occupation and children are not put together; however, children are always busy doing, in other words, occupationally engaged. While it is generally accepted that adult occupations are the result of the interaction between person and environment, it is held that children's developmental levels, in interaction with their immediate environments, determine their occupations. The impact of broad contextual factors, including social views, trends and situations, on children's occupations are rarely discussed. On the assumption that the historical context affords a natural vehicle for examining the role of the broad environment, an historical analysis of literary works between 1650 and 1990 was carried out. This paper demonstrates that the social views, trends and situations that shaped different periods history have indeed had an impact on children's occupations, in particular on determining the predominant occupations of children.

Date Presented 3/31/2017 This study examined the validity and utility of the Occupational Repertoire Development Measure–Parent (ORDM–P) from the perspective of expert occupational therapists. The ORDM–P is a new tool being designed that uses parent report to identify the occupations a child can and does perform. Primary Author and Speaker: Janet Njelesani Additional Authors and Speakers: Tatiana Pontes, Jane Davis, Helene Polatajko

UNLABELLED Active participation in daily occupations is a vital part of everyday life, social participation and healthy life long human development; however, enablers of active participation are not well understood. Passion, a strong tendency towards an activity that a person finds meaningful and spends a lot of time doing, is a potential enabler. Accordingly, it is important to understand how an individual's passion for a specific occupation plays out across the occupational life course. OBJECTIVE To explore the experience of passion across the life course of older adults involved in the performing arts. PARTICIPANTS Seven older adults involved in, or retired from, the performing arts, who consider themselves passionate about their occupation. METHODS A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to explore, through interviews with older adults, passion for performing arts across the life course. RESULTS Emerging themes supported development of an initial theoretical framework explicating active participation and passion. It centers on passion as an enabler of occupational participation through different modes, and suggests barriers to that enablement process. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that passion has an important role in continued active participation in an occupation; however, barriers, such as social and financial, can derail the pursuit of a passionate occupation.

This study was part of a larger mixed methods project aimed at adapting the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) treatment approach, originally designed for children with performance problems, for use with adults with stroke. In CO-OP, the client focuses on learning strategies and skills, rather than on remediating impairments. Therapists use guided discovery to teach cognitive strategy use. The purpose of this study was to explore participants' experiences with the approach.Semistructured interviews were conducted with five participants. Transcriptions were coded by two members of the research team. Data analysis was conducted in two distinct phases: Directed content analysis was conducted to apply codes to predetermined categories; Thematic analysis was conducted to allow themes grounded in the data to emerge.Participants reported learning and transferring the strategies taught, and made suggestions for modifications to the approach, such as increasing the number of sessions. One theme emerged, Balancing the need for autonomy with the need for support.The findings suggest the cognitive strategies were well learned and effectively used. CO-OP was able to provide participants with increased decision-making autonomy, but may require modifications to better support their transition to higher levels of independence.

This study was conducted to examine education professionals' attitudes toward the Regular Education Initiative (REI). The REI is a proposed reform movement designed to restructure general, compensatory, and special education service delivery systems. A six-page survey was mailed to 1200 educators (400 general education teachers, 400 special education teachers, and 400 building principals) in the state of Michigan. This survey assessed educators' agreement with REI goals and acceptance of proposed methods for impiementing the initiative. In addition, respondents noted their technical assistance needs in carrying out the reform agenda and cited specific factors that they believed impeded or promoted the movement in their own school systems. Of a possible 1,177 scorable questionnaires, 605 were returned, yielding a 51% response rate. Results indicated general agreement with the majority of REI goals and procedures. Some significant differences emerged, however, among the three groups of respondents on specific items.

Background. Many health professionals, including occupational therapists, have difficulty utilizing research findings in daily practice. Purpose. To determine if an online action research project could enhance research use among occupational therapists working in similar practice areas. Methods. Four groups of 12–14 occupational therapists met online for approximately one year. They discussed barriers and facilitators to research utilization, defined practice questions, and attempted to search for, synthesize and apply relevant research findings. Online communications and post-group interviews were thematically analyzed. Results. Only half of the participants who began the project were still online with the research project at completion. These participants believed that their involvement in the group led to increased personal awareness, motivation and confidence regarding the use of research evidence in practice and knowledge to be used in practice. Time to review, critique and synthesize research evidence continued to be a major barrier to enhanced research utilization. Practice Implications. Online meetings designed to enhance research use among occupational therapists appear to hold some promise, but refinements are needed to ensure their ultimate success.

Because of the broad nature of occupational therapy practice, research questions can arise from many different elements and dimensions of practice, leading many occupational therapy researchers to ask questions based on assumptions that fit within different paradigms.

Occupational therapists are realizing that the possibilities for our clients to engage or re-engage in essential aspects of their lives within their communities and societies, fostering their social and cultural occupations, lie in realizing the possibilities of occupational therapy. (Dec. 2011) highlighted ageism as an issue that affects the ability of occupational therapists to provide key services to older adults; they examined the strength of evidence of educational interventions to remediate ageist attitudes among health care students.

A faculty development program was designed to enhance the ability of graduate faculty members to supervise research activities of graduate students. The program was developed to stress interpersonal problem solving in advisement and professional issues. The classroom techniques of discussion teaching, case method, and psychodrama were used to encourage and enhance the full participation of the faculty. Participants indicated that the program enabled them to examine their own beliefs and knowledge regarding issues surrounding graduate education.

Among school psychologists serving a national, systematic sample of public schools, 47% reported compliance with Section 4 of the learning disabilities exclusionary clause, 38% reported purposeful noncompliance, and 10% reported inconsistent compliance. Those who attempt compliance consider a variety of factors in their decisions, but few pupils are actually excluded.