Management Plan

Project Manager: Debra Kusnierek, OTDS

Capstone Coordinator: Dr. Andrew Rivera

• Responsible for providing oversight, direction, and communication in preplanning and implementation of projects. Capstone Coordinator will ensure the project meets ACOTE requirements and manage the MOU process.

Expert Mentor: Staci Hammerschmitt

• Responsible for providing continual guidance on project design and implementation

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Reagan Bergstresser-Simpson

• Responsible for providing continual guidance on project design and implementation

Site: Ascension Lutheran School, Early Childhood Center and Elementary School

• Certified Nature Explore Classroom, dynamic, nature-based play and learning spaces.

• Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms apply research-based, field-tested design principles to create nature-rich outdoor spaces that can be located anywhere a school

• No OT on staff, missing insight and perspective for the impact on sensory development

Strengths:

• Sensory development issues are frequent among children with and without disabilities. Research from Critz et al. (2015) discovered among children without disabilities, the prevalence of SPD ranged from 10% to 55%, while the range of SPD for children with disabilities was 40% to 88%.

• Research has indicated that occupational therapists value the benefits of working outdoors with children in developing sensory skills (Wilkinson et al., 2019).

• The relevant literature specifically investigating the impact of teacher training or coaching on sensory development is limited. Teachers are involved daily with the care of children and may utilize SI and SP interventions to promote their students’ development and growth.

Weaknesses:

• The research sample will be limited to a private elementary school and early childhood center in Southern California, which will decrease the ability to generalize the results throughout the U.S. and to public school systems due to differing policies varying from state to state.

• Funding agencies and policymakers stress the importance of didactic methods to teach academic skills limiting opportunities for play and learning outdoors.

• The capstone student does not have experience as a sole researcher for a study, and the project will the researcher’s first solo research project.

Opportunities:

• The responsibility of providing time outdoors for children has landed in the hands of the childcare industry as there are many limiting factors for children being outdoors such as the increase in households with both parents working longer hours, leaving children indoors during school and in after-school programs (Kemple et al., 2016). The dynamic nature of having classrooms outdoors creates constant new sensory stimuli to support learning for children (Carter, 2016). Changing conditions and textures outdoors provide many opportunities for children to problem-solve and create engaging social interactions.

• The site where the capstone student will be working and gaining observation hours at already has nature- certified classrooms on campus, providing great information regarding the impact of outdoor education on sensory development.

Threats:

• There are no known occupational therapists that work on site for collaboration or mentor purposes.

• There are limiting factors to children being able to spend time outdoors, including the increase in households with both parents working longer hours and parent’s fear of risky play.

• The research project will not be successful if the capstone student is unable to have enough observation time of nature certified classrooms. Capstone is 14 weeks and will be scheduled from the beginning of April through part of summer; however, there is a possibility of summer school for the early childhood center.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2004). Scope of practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 58, 673–77. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2010.64S70 Ayers, A. J. (1979). Sensory integration and the child (1st ed.). Western Psychology Services.

Ben-Sasson A., Carter A.S., Briggs-Gowan M.J. (2009). Sensory over-responsivity in elementary school: Prevalence and social-emotional correlates. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(5). 705-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9295-8

Brussoni, M., Gibbons, R., Gray, C., Ishikawa, T., Sandseter, E. B. H., Bienenstock, A., Chabot, G., Fuselli, P., Herrington, S., Janssen, I., Pickett, W., Power, M., Stanger, N., Sampson, M., & Tremblay, M. S. (2015). What is the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children? A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(6), 6423-6454. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120606423

Carter, D. (2016). A nature-based social-emotional approach to supporting

young children’s holistic development in classrooms with and without walls: The social-emotional and environmental education development (SEED) framework. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 4(1), 9-24.

Chawla, L. (2020). Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss. People and Nature, 2, 619– 642. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10128

Critz, C., Blake, K., Nogueira, E. (2015). Sensory processing challenges in children. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 11(7), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2015.04.016

Elliot, S. (2016). Provocations for the “next big thing” in early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS). International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 4(1), 4-9.

Eynat, G., Murray J., Dyck, & Passmore, A. (2010). Relationships between stereotyped movements and sensory processing disorders in children with and without developmental or sensory disorders. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(3), 453–461. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2010.09075

Hussein, H. (2012). The influence of sensory gardens on the behavior of children with special educational needs. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 38(4), 343-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.03.356

Kemple, K., Oh, J., Kenny, E., & Smith-Bonahue, T. (2016). The power of outdoor play and play in natural environments. Children Education, 92(6), 446-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2016.1251793

Koenig, K. P. &. Rudney, S. G. (2010). Performance challenges for children and adolescents with difficulty processing and integrating sensory information: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(3), 430–442. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2010.09073

Lonkar, H. (2014). An overview of sensory processing disorder. (Publication No. 2444). [Doctoral dissertation, Western Michigan University]. Honors Theses. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/2444

Miller, L. J., Nielsen, D. M., Schoen, S. A., & Brett-Green, B. A. (2009). Perspectives on sensory processing disorder: A call for translational research. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, 3(22). https://doi.org/10.3389/neuro.07.022.2009

Miller-Kuhaneck, H., & Watling, R. (2018). Parental or teacher education and coaching to support function and participation of children and youth with sensory processing integration challenges: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational therapy, 72(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.029017

Nelson, C. A., 3rd, Zeanah, C. H., & Fox, N. A. (2019). How early experience shapes human development: The case of psychosocial deprivation. Neural plasticity.

https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1676285

Nicolopoulou, A. (2010). The alarming disappearance of play from early childhood education. Human Development, 53(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1159/000268135 Stillianesis, S., Spencer, G., Villeneuve, M., Sterman, J., Bundy, A., Wyver, S., Tranter, P., Naughton, G., Ragen, J., & Beetham, K. S. (2021). Parents’ perspectives on managing risk in play for children with developmental disabilities. Disability and Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2021.1874298

Tremblay, M., Gray, C., Babcock, S., Barnes, J., Bradstreet, C., Carr, D., Chabot, G., Choquette, L., Chorney, D., Collyer, C., Herrington, S., Janson, K., Janssen, I., Larouche, R., Pickett, W., Power, M., Hansen Sandseter, E. B., Simon, B., & Brussoni, M. (2015). Position statement on active outdoor play. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(6), 6475-6505. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120606475

Wilkinson, K., Rossi, J., Scott-Cole, L., Silvia, R., Allman, C., Kennedy, A., King, S., Langan, J., Lasnicki, S., Miller, A.,Schutt, K., & Wilcox H. (2019). Outdoor play in pediatric ot practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.73S1-PO5020