Integrated Occupational Therapy Camp for Children with Regulation/Sensory Processing Differences: Preliminary Evaluation

Abstract

Background. Integration of occupational therapy into a camp environment may support participation for children with neurodevelopmental differences, but evidence is limited. Purpose. This study examines the effects of participation of children with regulation/sensory processing differences at one such integrated camp on parent-established functional goals. Method. We used a pre-test/post-test repeated measures cohort design. Individualized goals were established with parents three months before camp using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) ( n = 82, child ages 4–13). Parents re-rated goals immediately before, one month after, and three months after camp. Findings. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed improvement in occupational performance over the week of camp significantly exceeded change within the three months prior. Improvements remained stable three months post-camp. Implications. Integrating occupational therapy within a camp setting is beneficial for children with neurodevelopmental differences. The COPM can be integrated into a camp setting to document meaningful change in individualized parent-established goals.

Integrated Life Skills Training and Executive Function Strategies in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Qatar: A Pilot Study of a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Although it did not reach statistical significance, this difference tended to increase over time, and improvements in post-test are attributed to the effect of the interventions themselves. This finding is consistent with previous work showing that intervention to improve EF has positive outcomes [13,14,[16][17][18][19] or, in any case, is correlated with them. Contrary to our hypothesis, the VMI skills improved to a similar extent between the two groups, although there was a statistically significant improvement within both groups in all outcome measures and high effect size.…”

“…In comparison to earlier studies primarily exploring the impact of EF training on enhancing social skills and specific EF skills [ 12 - 14 ], this study uniquely evaluates the outcomes of EF training on enhancing DLS and SI/SP [ 18 ]. Although the frequency of intervention sessions varied across studies [ 13 , 15 , 24 - 27 ], the 14-session duration in this study aligns with the current practice in pediatric OT, where definitive guidelines for intensity and frequency of treatment are currently lacking.…”

“…Tailored treatment activities were designed for individual needs, incorporating a carpeted scooter board. In one activity, the child lay in a prone position on the scooter board to ascend a ramp, followed by turning the scooter board around to descend the ramp and land in a cushioned area with mats and pillows featuring various textures [ 18 , 24 , 25 ]. This intervention, which was grounded in play with the active involvement of the child, took place in a spacious gym equipped with mats and a variety of suspended swings, large balls, a climbing wall, carpeted barrels, large inner tubes, and foam blocks.…”

“…Most of the published studies on EF training have examined its effectiveness in improving social communication skills when implemented as a stand-alone strategy or combined with social communication training [ 11 ]. No study has explored the outcomes of EF training in improving daily life skills (DLS) or sensory integration/sensory processing (SI/SP) skills [ 18 ].…”

Integrated life skill training and executive function strategies in children with autism spectrum disorder in Qatar: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…A priori power analysis was conducted using G*Power 3.1.9.6 considering an effect size of 80 and a 5% margin of error based on previous studies (Kenworthy et al, 2014;Stackhouse et al, 2023). The results of the power analysis indicated that 67 participants are required to detect group differences at the β = .80 level and a 5% margin of error.…”