title: Parents' explanatory models and hopes for outcomes of occupational therapy using a sensory integration approach.
abstract: PURPOSE. To describe parents' concerns and hopes for their children who would be receiving occupational therapy using a sensory integration approach. METHOD. Content analysis of 275 parental responses to three open-ended questions on developmental-sensory history intake forms. FINDINGS. Parents' descriptions of why they sought for their children were categorized into four overarching concerns about their children's challenges: self-regulation, interacting with peers, participating in skilled motor activities, and self-confidence. Parents often linked these concerns together, revealing explanatory models of how they make sense of potential relationships among their children's challenges and how these challenges affect occupational performance. Parents hoped occupational therapy would help their children develop self-understanding and frustration tolerance to self-regulate their behavior in socially acceptable ways. IMPLICATIONS. Assessment and intervention should explicitly focus on links among self-regulation, social participation, skills, and perceived competence to address parents' expectations.
authors.affiliation: Ellen S. Cohn, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is Clinical Professor and MSOT Program Director, Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; ecohn@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Ellen S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.affiliation: Jessica Kramer, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Professor, Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Jamie A. Schub, MS, OTR/L, is Graduate Student, Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jamie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schub
authors.affiliation: Teresa May-Benson, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is Director of Research and Education, Spiral Foundation, Watertown, MA.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: May-Benson
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009511:New England; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*