Date of Award

4-2023

Degree Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Sara Gerard

Second Advisor

Holly Grieves

Abstract

Inclusive programming has become more prevalent in many occupational pursuits for children, including that of leisure pursuits, or activities that a child engages in during their free time as they bring a sense of purpose and/or reward (Woodmansee et al., 2016). A major leisure pursuit of young children is organized sports and one that has demonstrated benefits for kids of all abilities and is growing in popularity is gymnastics (Gitimoghaddam et al., 2019; Mak & Cheung, 2018; Campain, 2014). While the benefits of participating in an inclusive gymnastics program are high for all children involved, the most benefits will be available only when the staff is sufficiently educated (Campain, 2014). Thus, the objectives of this doctoral capstone project were to create educational materials on developmental, sensory, and behavioral differences for gymnastics staff, provide in-the-moment modifications to activities, and review and modify class curriculum for all kids served by the organization to allow for greater inclusivity within classes. Through these objectives, the importance of task analysis and the lens through which activities are created and implemented was demonstrated, with the goal being for coaches to demonstrate increased confidence in leading challenging classes successfully.

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