Faculty Advisor(s)
Lori Charney
Abstract
The Let’s Get Connected (LGC) doctoral capstone project aimed to improve the social skills of primary school students through program development, education, and clinical intervention in order to encourage a more inclusive environment in the school. Regarding program development, LGC incorporated universal OT services during recess for all second grade students to socialize as a class. During the “All-In Recess” portion of the program, social emotional skills were taught through games that encouraged students to socialize and include all of their peers. The second tier included “Breakfast Bunch and Lunch Bunch”, which consisted of small social participation groups held during the breakfast and lunch periods for students who were at risk of experiencing difficulties with socializing with their peers. Students who participated in this group learned sensory and emotional regulation strategies and practiced social skills with their peers. The third tier involved working with students in a specialized classroom to run a snack cart in order to work on social participation skills. Working together to prepare and provide snacks to teachers helped these students to practice various social skills. Teacher education on sensory integration’s effect on social participation and specific sensory strategies that teachers can implement was provided to teachers via a didactic presentation. OT services focussed on social participation were also provided to students on the site mentor’s OT caseload. OT’s distinct value was evident in the Let’s Get Connected doctoral capstone project which empowered student social participation in an inclusive format in the public school sector.
Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Department
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
occupational therapy, capstone project, doctoral project, social participation, school, school-based practice, primary school, sensory regulation, emotional regulation, breakfast, lunch, recess, snack cart
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Boyd, Delaney J., "Let's Get Connected (LCG)" (2025). Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025. 25.
https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/otd_capstone2025/25