Anne H. Zachry

Disparities in sleep position awareness and compliance.

Objectives: To identify demographic predictors of caregivers who are more likely to position their infants prone for sleep; to determine caregivers primary information sources regarding sleep position recommendations; and to determine the primary influence on choice of infant sleep position among caregivers who still place their infants in an at-risk sleep position when informed of the recommendations. Methods: Survey of caregivers of 205 infants from birth to 24 months at 2 rural and 2 urban private pediatric practices in Southwest Tennessee. Results: Income was a significant predictor (P < 0.05) of caregivers awareness of sleep position recommendations. Awareness rates were 74% among respondents with an income of less than

Traditional Lectures and Team-Based Learning in an Occupational Therapy Program: A Survey of Student Perceptions

20,000 and 98% among those earning above

A Comparison of Print and Cursive Handwriting in Fifth and Sixth Grade Students: A Pilot Study

80,000. The primary source of sleep position recommendations for lower income and African American respondents was hospital staff; higher income and European Americans reported printed materials as the primary source. Among respondents who were aware of the recommendations but noncompliant, 60% reported infant preference as the primary influence on choice of sleep position. Conclusions: Based on this study, particular emphasis needs to be placed on reaching out to lower income groups to disseminate the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sleep positioning recommendations. The importance of positioning infants supine for sleep must be stressed before mother and baby are discharged from the hospital. Caregivers need to understand that many infants prefer to sleep on their stomachs, but there are ways to help babies adapt to supine sleeping.

Delivery of the Wilbarger Protocol: A survey of pediatric occupational therapy practitioners

Background: Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an active instructional approach used in health care education that incorporates group work. Methods: Two occupational therapy professors adopted a TBL instructional approach in two courses for firstand second-year occupational therapy master’s degree level students. The investigators administered a survey to evaluate student perceptions of TBL and lecture-based instruction (LBI). A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation identified two 5-item factors: “perceptions of LBI” and “perceptions of TBL.” Internal consistency for each factor was strong (Cronbach’s alpha 5 0.856 [preference for LBI]; 0.865 [preference of TBL]). A Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test was conducted to determine whether there was a difference in the ranking of two teaching approaches. Results: The results indicated a significant difference in how the students ranked the instructional approaches, z = -3.19, p < .05, with the students having more positive perceptions of LBI than TBL. Conclusion: The implications for occupational therapy educators are discussed.

Caregiver awareness of prone play recommendations.

Background: Handwriting is an important skill to master because handwriting demands take up a significant portion of the school day. Pediatric occupational therapists evaluate and treat children who are experiencing challenges with handwriting; therefore, it is important for practitioners to understand the performance of children using both of these writing styles. Method: A convenience sample of 36 fifth and sixth grade students participated in the study. Print and cursive handwriting samples were collected on two separate occasions, and a Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test was used to examine speed and legibility differences in these writing styles. Results: Speed in print writing did not differ significantly for gender between the fifth and sixth graders. Cursive writing speed improved significantly for the sixth grade female students compared to the fifth grade female students. Female print legibility scores decreased from the fifth to the sixth grade. Regardless of grade level, the female students were faster with cursive than the male students. Conclusion: The female students consistently used cursive, and their writing speed increased from one year to the next, as compared to the male students, who did not use a consistent writing style. It is important for occupational therapists to educate teachers and parents on the importance of consistent handwriting instruction and practice.

Sensory writing: A team approach to handwriting instruction

ABSTRACT The Wilbarger Therapressure Program is a commonly used treatment approach utilized by occupational therapy professionals for the treatment of sensory defensiveness. The purpose of the current study was to investigate occupational therapy practitioners’ sources of training in the administration of Wilbarger Therapressure Program, the uniformity of administration in practice, and the diagnoses for which therapists recommend this treatment approach. Occupational therapists from across the United States participated in an online survey investigating specifics related to training and implementation of the brushing protocol. A total of 153 respondents reported using the Wilbarger Therapressure Program in practice. Almost half of the respondents received their education on the Therapressure program by attending the workshop offered by the Wilbargers. Forty eight percent of survey participants reported learning how to administer the Therapressure program by participating in hands-on training provided by another occupational therapy practitioner, 39% by attending the course taught by the Wilbargers, 7% by information obtained through word of mouth from another occupational therapy practitioner, 3% by information obtained through online research, and 3% by other means. The results of this study reveal that a variety of approaches exist related to the training and implementation of the protocol. It is the responsibility of all occupational therapy practitioners to obtain the proper training prior to recommending and implementing the Therapressure program. Because a standardized protocol for implementation of the protocol has not been published, the optimal means of training is for practitioners to attend the Wilbarger workshop.