A survey of occupational therapy curricula

Cross-sectional surveys were conducted of occupational therapy professional and technical programs. Part 1 describes general studies and prerequisite requirements for an entry-level baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy. Part 2 presents general studies, prerequisites, and technical curriculum of the occupational therapy assistant programs. Program directors design and manage professional programs based on their knowledge of academia, higher education, accreditation essentials, and consumer needs. Descriptive data of educational prerequisites and curriculum content are used in program evaluation and planning for accreditation, institutional strategic planning, marketing, projection of future needs, and facilitation of communication between curricula.

Evaluation of a teen parent program designed to reduce child abuse and neglect and to strengthen families

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a teen parent program designed to increase parents' self-esteem, improve parenting skills, and increase parental knowledge about child development. Subjects (n = 30) in the program were referred from public health services. Control subjects (n = 30) were served by a local health department. Subjects were tested before and on completion of the program (or 6-9 months later for controls) using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), the Inventory of Parents' Experiences (IPE), and the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST). Findings included (a) intervention subjects scored lower than control subjects on the pretesting in self-esteem (p less than 0.05), parental role satisfaction (p less than 0.05), and community support (p less than 0.0001); (b) control subjects scored lower on satisfaction with intimate relationships (p less than 0.0001); (c) at post-test, there were no statistically significant differences, and intervention subjects recorded self-esteem scores had increased to control levels; and (d) no developmental delays were detected in newborns at either pre- or post-testing. Implications of this study include (a) data support effectiveness of the program in enhancing self-esteem, maintaining satisfaction in parental role, and increasing community support for teen parents; and (b) evaluation of teen parent programs' effects should be done every 3-6 months to reduce subject attrition.

Nerve cell loss in the thalamus in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

Serial sections through the thalamus from the fixed right cerebral hemispheres of 15 cases (5 Parkinson's disease, 5 Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 5 controls) were used to obtain quantitative estimates of neuronal loss, neurofibrillary tangle formation and Lewy body inclusions within individual thalamic nuclei. Severe neuronal loss and tangle formation were evident in the anterodorsal nucleus from the AD cases. Nerve cell damage was also present in the centromedian nucleus but was not associated with tangle formation and occurred in all but 2 of the brains examined. It is likely that the anterodorsal neurons are damaged locally by the Alzheimer's disease process whereas the changes in the centromedian nucleus may be related to ageing.