Participant Recruitment

Early Movers in Occupational Therapy

We are looking for Occupational Therapists and parents of children with disabilities who have accessed occupational therapy for their preschool-aged (3-4 years) children in the last 5 years to participate in a study.

Why is this study being done?

This research aims to create a tailored practice resource for occupational therapists to implement the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years with preschool-aged clients (aged 3-4 years) with developmental disabilities. These guidelines recommend a balanced approach to physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep, which is crucial for the healthy development of all young children. However, occupational therapists, who play a key role in supporting children with developmental disabilities, have not been using these guidelines in their practice and have requested supports to do so. This study will use a co-design approach to develop a guideline implementation resource for occupational therapists. 

What this study involves:

We are asking occupational therapists and parents to participate in an advisory group for this co-design study to co-lead the development, design, and evaluation of a guideline implementation resource. The advisory group will also include four researchers from Western University. Topic area experts from Canadian universities will also act as consultants to the advisory group to ensure the developed resource is scientifically appropriate. 

Over the course of the study, the advisory group will participate in four virtual 1-hour workshops on Microsoft Teams to create this resource. These will be conversation-based and collaborative. In workshop 1 the advisory group will meet for introductions and establish consensus on format and requirements for a resource to incorporate the guidelines into practice. The expert consultants will then meet separately to provide input on a prototype of the resource.  Workshop 2 for the advisory group will involve a think aloud session. Think-aloud involves participants verbalizing their thoughts while working through the prototype. We will work through the prototype together, making adjustments as required. Occupational therapists then be asked to test the prototype of the resource with their clients in practice and complete brief momentary reflections via Qualtrics to evaluate the tool for revisions. We will collectively decide on timelines needed for testing the prototype with clients in practice. Workshop 3 will subsequently involve debriefing the use of the prototype in practice with the whole advisory group. Workshop 4 will involve generating live consensus to resolve remaining issues, with involvement of all partners (advisory group and consultants) to finalize the resource.

Occupational therapists are eligible to participate in this study if you:  

(1) are currently registered to practice as an occupational therapist in Canada;  

(2) have experience working with paediatric clients (aged 3-4 years) with developmental disabilities; 

(3) are able to speak, read, and write in English; and, 

(4) have access to the internet.

Parents are eligible to participate in this study if you: 

(1) self-identify as a parent of a child under the age of 8 years with a developmental disability;  

(2) self-identify as having experience using occupational therapy for your child, during their preschool years; 

(3) are able to speak, read, and write in English; and, 

(4) have access to the internet.

To express your interest and verify your eligibility to participate in this study, please contact doctoral candidate, Leah Taylor at: ltaylo83@uwo.ca

For more information, please check out our study video or the letters of information below:

Letter of Information for Occupational Therapists

Letter of Information for Parents​​​