Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Gail Bass

Keywords

Adolescent; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- rehabilitation; Juvenile Delinquency -- prevention & control

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the product is to provide adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) who are in a youth juvenile detention center the opportunity to participate in group sessions that will increase their functional occupational performance and decrease behaviors associated with their disorder.

Methodology: An extensive literature review was completed in order to determine the need for services and the information to include within the product. The authors looked at websites related to programming already implemented in Juvenile Centers to gather an idea of how to organize the product. A review of Cole’s 7 Steps was done in order to structure and organize each group session (Cole, 2012). The group sessions were designed to flow from a structured to gradually unstructured environment. The theoretical model that guided the development of this scholarly project is the Person-Environment-Occupation model (PEO). The PEO model was developed in order to provide a logical way to analyze complex performance issues that are included in a person’s occupations and environments (Strong & Rebeiro-Gruhl, 2011).

Product: A 10-week occupational therapy-based group program was designed for adolescents with FASD who are involved with the Juvenile Justice System. The group sessions address various areas of occupation that have been identified through a review of literature. These areas include; social skills, money management, work and employment, hygiene, clean and sober, peer pressure/positive affirmations, parenting tips, sleep and rest, impulse control, and a farewell party planning session.

Conclusion/Recommendations: This program provided adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder who are in a youth juvenile detention center the opportunity to participate in group sessions that will increase their functional occupations and behavior associated with their disorder. The limitations for this program include lack of research, absence of implementation, small sample size, limited context, and limited to one diagnosis. Recommendations for the future include additional research, outcomes measurement, and implementation of program, expanding context, and expansion to other diagnoses with similar behaviors.

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