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Importance: Internationally, it is suggested that school-based occupational therapy (SBOT) has an important role in supporting inclusion in educational settings. In SBOT, multitiered service delivery models are identified as a way forward to maximize school inclusion. Therefore, identifying evidence for the implementation of tiered interventions in SBOT is vital. Objective: To identify and map evidence in the occupational therapy literature relating to SBOT interventions delivered in elementary schools for all children, for those at risk, and for those with identified diagnoses. Data Sources: Peer-reviewed literature published in 14 occupational therapy journals between 1990 and 2020, indexed in the EBSCOhost database. Study Selection and Data Collection: Included studies were those within the scope of SBOT that reported on school occupations and focused on elementary school–age children (excluding kindergarteners or preschoolers). Findings: Forty studies met the criteria. Individual-tier intervention studies (n = 22) primarily reported direct interventions with children at risk or with identified diagnoses (Tier 2 or Tier 3), focusing mostly on remedial approaches. None adopted a whole-school approach. Despite handwriting and self-regulation being dominant areas of concern, these studies were not explicitly related to inclusion outcomes. Evidence for implementing multitiered models primarily used indirect, collaborative consultation, embedded in the school context (n = 18). These studies identified positive school staff and child outcomes when collaboration was timely, consistent, and authentic. Conclusions and Relevance: More rigorous individual-tier intervention studies are required to inform the design and implementation of multitiered interventions in SBOT and to support participation and inclusion in schools. What This Article Adds: This scoping review provides evidence to support occupational therapists’ professional reasoning in developing evidence-based, contextual, educationally relevant multitiered models of intervention in SBOT.

The following is an abstract summary of an oral presentation on representations of Irish Traveller children's play and practice implicationsat the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Conference in Paris. Introduction Revolution implies a fundamental change in the way that we thinkand act.An occupational rights agenda affirms our responsibility as Occupational Therapists to support children’s right to play and identify and address the barriers to play. Irish Traveller children experience systemic discrimination within schoolyards- increasingly understood as a significant place in the lives of children.Our insufficient understanding of IrishTraveller children’s play leaves us vulnerable todecontextualised and deficit focused practicesthat risk contributing to systems that sustain inequality and exclusion. There is a diverse body of information available that may assist in understanding thecomplexities ofpolitical, historical,spatialand relationalfactors relevant to Irishchildren’splay to support our practice. Objectives Toidentify, map and summarizeexistingevidenceon Irish Traveller children’s playin schoolyards. Method Thisstudy applied the methodological guidance onconducting a scoping review from the Joanna Briggs Institute.A PRISMAScrflow chart was used to track the scoping review search process. Results The scale and variety of evidence relevant to Irish children's play in schoolyards was mapped and summarised.Expected resultsinclude theidentification ofimportant constructs apparent in the existing body of workandgreaterunderstandingsof thecomplexities of factors relevant to Irishchildren’splayin schoolyards. Preliminary results on representations of Irish Traveller childrens play will be presented. Conclusion This study will provide crucial knowledge tosupportrights-basedpracticewhich requires Occupational Therapists to critically reflect on the situated and relational nature of children’s play in schoolyards.

Scoping review protocol for examining Occupational Therapy evidence for tiered interventions in elementary schools

Poster presented at SSO:USA Conference 2021 (Society for the Study of Occupation, USA) Abstract: Title: Developing an integrated research programme for the study of occupational science through the lens of play Statement of Purpose The P4PLAY is an innovative joint doctoral programme, established in 2020, as a collaboration between 4 academic and 15 partner organisations in Europe and the USA. The overall research goal is to develop new knowledge on the occupation of play and play deprivation; the impact of physical, socio-cultural, and policy environments on play provision; and the development of solutions to address barriers to play provision in diverse community settings. This research responds to the societal challenge of ensuring health, well-being and equality for children (UN Sustainable Goals 3 & 10). Expected outcomes aim to benefit children, families, and communities. PhD students are conducting individual projects addressing four fundamental areas of play (People, Place, Policy, Practice [P4Play]) with eight study themes: People: Expanding conceptualisations of inclusive play for children with diverse experiences of play deprivation. Exploring the impact of contemporary gender discourses on the play of families with children at risk of play deprivation. Place: Spatial inclusion: The relationship between Universal Design and policy for play provision. Redefining play in technology enhanced play spaces: enhancing children’s participation. Policy: Enhancing spatial inclusion in public playspaces through participatory approaches in planning and design. Applying complexity theory to identify and explore multiple outcomes associated with children’s play. Practice: The evaluation of children’s outdoor play. Enhancing participation through play interventions in school settings. Description of Methods The programme of research is founded in child-centred methodologies framed within a child-rights-based approach, and underpinned by occupational science concepts which support analyses of the influence of sociocultural, political and spatial contexts that influence play. Central to this programme is an exploration and development of child-centred, evidence-based, occupation-centred research and practice methods. Methodologies will include discourse analysis, narrative and ethnographic approaches embedded with tailored methods to elicit children’s voice so children’s perspectives are heard. Report of Results (anticipated findings) One innovative outcome of this grant is to produce Occupational Science researchers who can explore societal challenges, relating to inclusion, health, and well-being, and translate evidence into practice and societal solutions. Furthermore, it is anticipated that these studies will contribute to the development of innovative research methods to explore socio-spatial environments and play occupations, at a family, and community level. Discussion/Implications as related to Occupational Science Our goal is to progress a rights-based agenda for all children at risk of play deprivation through the development of a child-centred play research programme Committee on the Rights of the Child (2013). General comment No. 17 (2013) on the Right of the Child to Rest, Leisure, Play, Recreational Activities, Cultural Life, and the Arts (Article 31). Geneva: United Nations.

The UN CRC (2013) highlightedthe play rights of childrenfrom indigenous and minority communities as requiringspecific attention.An occupational rights agenda affirmsour responsibility as Occupational Therapists to identifyand address the barriers to children’s play.However,aninsufficient understanding of Traveller children’s play mayleave us vulnerable to practices that risk contributing tosystems that sustain inequality and exclusion. This studyaimed to develop knowledge to support practice. The primary objective of the study was to identify, map and summarize the literature onTraveller children’s play.The updated methodological guidancefor conducting a scoping review from the Joanna BriggsInstitute (Peters et al, 2020) was implemented. This poster presentation outlinespreliminary findings from the study.

In this poster sessiontwo research projects of P4Play in the area of practice are described. Introduction:The P4Play MarieSklodowska-Curie (MSC) Training Network is an innovative European Joint Doctorate (EJD) programme in Occupational Science for Occupational Therapists. This EJD was established in 2020 when 2.2 m was awarded to a consortium of researchers and play advocates, in the highly competitive Horizon2020 scheme. P4play is a collaboration between 4 academic universities in Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, and Switzerland, and 15 partner organisations in Europe and the USA. The P4play programme adopts a child's rights-based perspective and aims to investigate the nature of play through the lens of People, Place, Policy and Practice (P4Play). Background:After extensive scientific research, scholarly exploration, and discourse on play, a refocus on play as a right requires further study as a central concern (or occupation) in children's lives.Occupational Science, a science dedicated to the study of humans as doers or as occupational beings, offers a unique lens to explore play as an occupation.From this perspective, the P4Play proposal was developed and submitted for funding to the MSC programme, in 2019 and was successful on first submission. P4play intends to amplify children's voices and explore the intersectionality of diverse childhood experiences of play, within families, communities, and cultures, drawing from pragmatism, complexity theories, childhood studies and anthropology among others. Methods:The P4Play research programme has employed 8 early-stage researchers dedicated to exploring the complex and situated nature of play, e.g., social-spatial inclusion, play deprivation, and policy. and the development of solutions to address barriers to play provision in diverse community settings. Eight PhD research projects are being designed and implemented to examine play from diverse perspectives and contexts, includingroma/traveller communities, families of children with disabilities, seldom-heard children and communities of socioeconomic disadvantage.A unique aspect of this programme is the inclusion of 15 international partners with interests in the field of play. These partners are engaged in play advocacy, innovations, education, playground provision, grassroots support for play in communities, government policy, and science.Through the collaboration with these partners, the programme aligns with current play advocacy and policy initiatives, which strengthens the capacity to translate research outcomes to actionable steps. This research responds to the societal challenge of ensuring health, well-being and equality for children (UN Sustainable Goals 3 & 10). Expected outcomes aim to benefit children, families, and communities Outcomes: It is hoped that this research program will have a transdisciplinary impact beyond occupational therapy and occupational science. It aims to facilitate conversations in other areas of academics, inform educators, empower communities, and encourage policymakers to reduce or remove barriers to play for diverse communities, children, and families. &nbsp

Boyle, Bryan; Arnedillo-Sanchez, Inmaculada; Zahid, Aejaz: Designing collaborative virtual environments for children on the Autism Spectrum. T4I Communications 1, T4I2016 – Academic/Research, Nov 2016. Figshare. This paper outlines the examination of a Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) as a computer aided learning tool for children with symptoms typically associated with a diagnosis at the moderate to severe side of the autism spectrum. A CVE was co-designed with children with autism, their parents, teachers and other caregivers.