Students will integrate concepts, principles, and strategies that are fundamental to the provision of occupational therapy services in the changing U.S. health care system. This course links system management, reimbursement mechanisms, and public policy found in occupational therapy practice settings to the populations served. Knowledge of leadership, management, ethics and marketing principles that are necessary for success in today's health care industry are emphasized.

The course provides students an in depth understanding of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods designs. The students will learn the necessary knowledge and skills required to critically appraise research evidence. Emphasis will be given to various analytical approaches used to examine qualitative/quantitative evidence, such as understanding differences between experimental and quasi-experimental study designs. Students will work in teams to identify a research topic, review and appraise pertinent evidence, identify and describe gaps in existing knowledge. Students will further use this information to develop a research proposal that addresses the identified gaps.

Students engage in activities of systematic inquiry and research under the mentorship of a research-active faculty mentor. Students gain experience with aspects of the research process, which may include conducting a literature review, developing a research proposal, data collection, data analysis, writing a research paper, and the presentation of research findings. Students also apply ethics for the use of human participation in research, and learn about funding avenues for different areas of research. OT and OT Asst Tech Certificate majors only.

This course presents, integrates and applies Ayres sensory integration (SI) theory in the context of occupational therapy for children. Content related to the theoretical constructs upon which sensory integration functions is emphasized. Current views related to sensory processing disorders, diagnostic considerations, patterns of sensory integration dysfunction, and SI deficits commonly associated with disorders such as autism and attention disorders are covered. Intervention planning and implementation are covered through video case studies, and observation and analysis of occupational therapy sessions using SI strategies. Students apply their understanding of normal and abnormal child development, and clinical reasoning skills for providing OT services for children with sensory integration problems in clinical, early intervention and school-based settings.