Award Date
May 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Occupational Therapy Doctorate
Department
Brain Health
First Committee Member
Donnamarie Krause
Second Committee Member
Jefferson Kinney
Number of Pages
159
Abstract
For children living in rural communities, the likelihood of having a developmental delay substantially increases compared to children living in urban areas (Weglarz-Ward et al., 2019). This can be due to a lack of access to resources, limited education, and geographical isolation. Despite the rising trend of developmental delays among rural children, there is a noteworthy lack of early intervention resources for both the child and their family. This trend of minimal resources is demonstrated in Lincoln County, Nevada. Using an occupational therapy lens, a community-based playgroup program was developed for residents in Lincoln County. Community-based playgroups involve a structured interaction between caregivers and their child/children in a community context and incorporate the occupation of play, socialization, and caregiver education. This is consequential as there are currently no community-based programs in place within Lincoln County, Nevada. Semi-structured interviews, clinical observations, and a needs assessment were completed to gather information on where the disparities in resources are and how the program can fill them. The guiding question throughout this project was as follows: “What are the perceptions of stakeholders of children ages zero to three regarding the development of an occupational therapy-based playgroup that focuses on enhancing their understanding of developmental milestones?” Utilizing the information gathered from caregivers, teachers, and stakeholders, a community-based playgroup was developed to meet the needs of the community, thereby increasing the feasibility of caregivers to attend.
Keywords
caregivers; community-based; developmental milestones; playgroups; rural
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Clingman, Chesnee, "Perceptions of a Community-Based Playgroup to Promote Caregiver Knowledge of Resources and Prevention of Developmental Delays in a Rural Setting" (2024). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 4975.
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/4975
Rights
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