Health Sciences

School of Occupational Therapy

Neurological Research Team

Neurological Research in Occupational Therapy: Across the Lifespan

Aims:

1. To further the evidence base of occupational therapy (OT) in neurological rehabilitation.
2. To conduct high quality research that investigates the scientific foundations for neurological rehabilitation evaluates occupational therapy practice for clients with neurological impairment.
3. To inform clinical practice through dissemination of findings through publications and presentations to professional and scientific communities.
4. To identify and promote strengths in neurological research within the School of Occupational Therapy at entry, post-graduate and academic levels.
5. To provide quality supervision in an environment that supports completion of high quality undergraduate and postgraduate neurological research.
6. To establish and expand collaborations in neurological research.

Strengths and Common Areas of Research Priority

Measurement: Development and use of measures that assess quality of movement, sensation, upper limb function and participation in daily occupations and life roles. The group has developed a number of measurement tools and resources to enable quantitative measurement of abilities and task performance in the upper limb for both adults and children with a neurological condition.

Intervention: Investigation of the effectiveness of a range of interventions including sensory retraining, bilateral kinematic training, constraint-induced therapy and current occupational therapy practice, for example, in relation to splinting and handwriting. Interventions are being investigated in relation to adults and children with stroke or acquired brain injury and children with congenital (cerebral palsy) or acquired neurological disorders and developmental coordination disorder. Research focuses on investigation of the effectiveness of specific interventions as well as development and investigation of principles of training such as task specific training versus training to facilitate generalisation of intervention effects.  Research is also focused upon exploring the experience of participation in the community from the perspective of children and adults with neurological conditions. These studies will further the evidence base and guide development of Occupational Therapy interventions across the lifespan for people with neurological conditions.

Key words: neurological, quality of movement, sensation, upper limb, participation, occupational therapy, children, adults, and client centred practice.