Focus Areas: Program Development and Advocacy

Topics of Interest: Transition to Adulthood, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Pediatric hospital-based occupational therapy

Purpose: The purpose of the Doctoral Capstone is to advocate for occupational therapy’s role in transition services by developing a program reflecting a transition mindset for pediatric occupational therapists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center utilizing group programming, improved evaluation templates, intervention resources, assessment tools, and educational materials to promote increased postsecondary outcomes for individuals ages 14 and older with a developmental disability.

Capstone Site: 

The Doctoral Capstone Site (DC site) is Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), located in Cincinnati, Ohio. CCHMC is a full-service, non-profit pediatric academic medical center and is nationally recognized as a leader in pediatric healthcare, with a reputation for excellence in patient care, research, and medical education (Cincinnati Children’s, n.d.). CCHMC is ranked in the top three in the nation in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital list, as well as the top three for NIH grants and funding for pediatrics (Cincinnati Children’s, n.d). CCHMC’s vision is to be the leader in improving child health. CCHMC prioritizes service to the community and has reached 26,100 children and families through community outreach and education programs before COVID-19 (Cincinnati Children’s, n.d). CCHMC has created a long-term aspirational plan to focus on care, community, cure, and culture (Cincinnati Children’s, n.d).

Project SEARCH is an organization for transitional services for young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and developmental disabilities (DD). Project SEARCH was developed at CCHMC in 1996 and provides services to people with disabilities ages 18-22 by providing job skills training, internship opportunities, and competitive integrated employment opportunities. Project SEARCH provides education and training to young adults with disabilities through an innovative workforce and a career development model that benefits the individual, workplace, and community (Project SEARCH, n.d). and supports adolescents and young adults with disabilities transitioning from school to work. Project SEARCH has over 600 sites across the country, with its headquarters at CCHMC.

This DC site matches the DC because the project focuses on the program development of hospital-based occupational therapy transition groups for adolescents and young adults with disabilities. CCHMC's OT department has a grant to develop and implement transition groups for adolescents and young adults ages 14-21 with disabilities, creating a perfect opportunity for the DC project and DC site to align. CCHMC therapy services provide families with what they need to care for their child, and Project SEARCH helps the child and family learn job skills and find opportunities. These transition groups will help fill the gap in occupational therapy services for adolescents and young adults. The goal is to create a transition group curriculum that can be replicated across all CCHMC facilities and other pediatric facilities to bridge this gap between childhood and adulthood for people with disabilities.

 

References:

Cincinnati Children’s (n.d). About Cincinnati Children’s. https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/about/corporate/facts-figures 

 

Project Search (n.d). Project Search Flyer. https://www.sedol.us/cms/lib8/IL01904150/Centricity/Domain/511/Project%20SEARCH%20Flyer-.pdf

Capstone Site Mentors: 
Dr. Rebecca Weisshaar, OTD, OTR/L- Occupational Therapist at CCHMC
Dr. Dennis Cleary, OTD, OTR/L- Senior Researcher for Disability Services at CCHMC & Researcher at Project SEARCH

Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Joan Tunningley, PhD, OTR/L, BCP

Capstone Coordinator:
Dr. Marnie Renda, OTD, M.Ed., OTR/L, ECHM

Reflection:
The capstone process has been a continuous, rewarding process. The ability to research a topic of interest from the beginning of the OTD academic coursework and build on that topic to develop a project to implement has been extremely exciting, challenging, and rewarding all at the same time. I am excited to expand my leadership and advocacy skills by working at CCHMC and expanding OTs role in transition services to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families. I have loved how my project has transformed over the last two years and that every piece has played a significant role in forming the project and experience. I knew from the beginning I wanted to do something related to transition services. First, I was focused on school-based OT but could not find a site where I could make an impact. After talking with Rebecca about her vision for a transition program at CCHMC within the OTPT department, all of my interests and passions were aligned. To me, working on increasing outpatient pediatric OTs role in transition services bridges the gaps between the missing pieces for school-based OT and adult services for people with developmental disabilities. I am anxious to start it and see how it will continue to evolve as I begin my journey on-site at CCHMC. I am thankful for all of the people that have helped me along the way, for my professors, classmates, mentors, and site mentors who have helped me get to where I am. I am thankful for the opportunity to be at CCHMC, a nationally ranked pediatric hospital, to gain amazing experience and expand my professional skills before officially entering the workforce.