Date Approved
7-8-2024
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Occupational Therapy (M.S.)
Degree Program
Occupational Science and Therapy
First Advisor
Carla Floyd-Slabaugh
Academic Year
2023/2024
Abstract
Background: A mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly known as a concussion, is an impact or transmitted force to the head caused by a blow to the body (Sarmiento et al., 2020). A mTBI is especially common among the pediatric population. An estimated 33 million children worldwide sustain a mTBI annually (Moen et al., 2022). To date, mTBI literature has focused on injuries sustained in sports and thus identifies prevention in athletic environments. However, the occupational performance issues experienced by students as they return to the classroom following a mTBI are limited. Understanding these performance issues is critical for identifying areas of need for effective and safe return-to-learn protocols.
Method: A high school student and her mother were interviewed via a semi-structured interview 19 months after suffering a mTBI. Thematic analysis methods guided data analysis. Themes emerged through consensus by a five-person research team, member checking, and triangulation.
Results: Six main themes were identified, which include vision, emotion, care, cognition, sleep, and participation. Vision symptoms included light sensitivity, dizziness, and difficulty with convergence and divergence. Emotions of frustration and helplessness were heightened due to the process of care and diagnosis of the mTBI. Limited memory, attention span, and concentration form the theme of cognition, while the theme of sleep is present through excessive sleeping. Each factor led to the subject's limitations in occupational performance within the classroom.
Conclusion: This study highlights that occupational performance is affected in many facets following a mTBI. The results suggest that improving return-to-learn protocols and implementing occupational therapy into mTBI treatment could improve occupational performance in the classroom. Occupational therapists are trained in neurological deficits, vision, emotional regulation, cognition, and sleep practices. Therefore, occupational therapists have a unique opportunity to be incorporated into the multidisciplinary team immediately after a mTBI.
ScholarWorks Citation
Stehouwer, Emily; Ludlow, Emma; Clendennin, Ashley; Bessey, Princess; and Kleinheksel, Delia, "Occupational Performance Issues Experienced by Students upon Return to School Following an mTBI" (2024). Culminating Experience Projects. 450.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/450
