AIM:This study investigated the perceived implications of caring on siblings and parents under COVID-19 lockdown in Australia. METHOD:Eighty parent/guardians participated. Dependent variables: care implications on siblings; and parent distress. Independent variables: sibling behavior; relationships; and family functioning. Correlation and multiple regression explored relationships. RESULTS:Sibling wellbeing was associated with emotional functioning (r = .41, p < .05), hyperactivity (r = .42, p < .01) and family functioning (r = .38, p < .01). Parental distress was associated with sibling's companionship (r = .50, p < .01), empathy (r = .33, p < .01), and behavioral difficulties. Parent distress was significantly predicted by both sibling's protective factors (sibling companionship and empathy and prosocial behavior) r = .51, F(3,76) =8.71, p < .001, accounting for 26% of the total variance, and risk factors (problem behaviors, impact of caring), R = .51, F(4,75) =6.58, p < .001, accounting for 26% of the total variance. The psychosocial impact on siblings was significantly predicted by sibling behavior problems, satisfaction with family functioning and parent distress, F(5,79) = 5.57, p < .001, and explained 22.5% of the variance. CONCLUSION:Implications for practitioners include consideration of the importance of protective factors such as emotional self-control and satisfaction with family functioning for siblings, and sibling companionship, empathy and the siblings' behavior on parental distress, among families raising children with disabilities.

Background Occupational therapists use standardized scales to assess how individuals process and respond to sensory information. Currently, there is limited evidence about the convergent validity between the Adult/Adolescent Sensory History (ASH) and the Sensory Processing Measure 2-Adult Form (SPM-2-Adult). Purpose. The study examined the convergent validity of the ASH and SPM-2-Adult when completed by young adults. Method. Fifty Australian adults aged 21-35 completed the ASH and SPM-2-Adult. Spearman's rho correlations were used to analyze the data. Results. Most ASH and SPM-2-Adult subscales were significantly associated with correlations ranging from rho = 0.301 to 0.858 (p < .033-.001). Statistically significant correlations were obtained between the SPM-2-Adult Vision subscale and every ASH subscale (rho = 0.322-0.841, p < .023-.001) while the SPM-2-Adult Taste and Smell subscale yielded the most non-significant correlations with the ASH. Most of the statistically significant correlations between the ASH and SPM-2-Adult were in the moderate range. Conclusion. Promising evidence of convergent validity between the ASH and SPM-2-Adult sensory subscales and total scales was demonstrated, whereas the convergent validity findings between the ASH Functional-Problems subscales and the SPM-2-Adult sensory subscales were less robust. This adds to the psychometric body of concurrent validity evidence between the two scales.

Introduction Interoception, the ability to notice, understand, and act on internal bodily signals, is increasingly recognised as relevant to children's self-regulation and participation. While a growing body of research has examined interoception-based assessments and interventions with children across health disciplines, less is known about how these concepts are being interpreted and applied within paediatric occupational therapy practice. Understanding current clinical reasoning and practice use is important to support evidence-informed occupational therapy intervention in this emerging area.Methods Qualitative semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 22 Australian paediatric occupational therapists. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied, ensuring credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.Consumer and Community Involvement No consumer or community involvement.Findings Four main themes were identified: (1) 'Learning as we go': What occupational therapists know (and do not know) about interoception, (2) Integrating interoception into practice, (3) An empty toolbox: We need more tools, and (4) Context matters: Environmental influences on interoception in practice. Three sub-themes were identified for the second primary theme. These were titled (2.1) Using theory to guide practice: How occupational therapists think about interoception, (2.2) Setting the interoception scene, and (2.3) A bridge to participation.Conclusion Paediatric occupational therapists value interoception as foundational to children's regulation and participation; however, knowledge and confidence remain variable, with many therapists describing an ongoing, practice-based learning process. Interoception is applied across the occupational therapy process and shaped by professional reasoning, experience, and contextual factors, yet limited occupation-focused tools and guidance constrain consistent implementation. These findings highlight the need for occupation-based assessments, structured resources, and targeted professional development to support evidence-informed practice.

Healthcare and allied health degrees include the study of anatomy and physiology, collectively termed “bioscience”, in the first-year curriculum. It is well established that undergraduate nursing students, while appreciating the importance of bioscience for effective clinical practice, perceive it as difficult. This generates anxiety, which can negatively impact academic performance. Our study has revealed that this concern is also shared by occupational therapy and midwifery students. To address this issue, a fully online, self-directed short course, Jumpstart A&P, was developed to introduce students to basic bioscience concepts before the start of their first semester. Survey results revealed that engagement with Jumpstart A&P reduced student anxiety and enhanced self-reported confidence in studying bioscience. This was significantly associated with improved academic performance for those who completed at least half of the course. Therefore, the Jumpstart A&P course is an effective online intervention that improves students’ agency and confidence.

Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to provide an overview of the types of daily occupations people typically engage in or perform, define occupation, occupational performance and engagement, and occupational adaptation, participation, competence and identity. The chapter will also provide an overview of different ways of classifying human occupation. It will describe self-care, productivity, work, play, leisure, recreation, education, sleep and social participation occupations, and will also outline how occupations may change across the lifespan. The chapter will help the reader to identify and describe occupational performance issues and challenges.

Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to describe the contribution that research makes to underpin and justify occupational therapy education and practice in Australia, explain the purpose of different methodologies commonly used by occupational therapy researchers, and highlight the importance of becoming an informed and skilled research consumer as an occupational therapy student and professional.

BACKGROUND:Intersectionality asks professionals to consider the diverse sociocultural identities and positionings that may directly or indirectly impact the day-to-day occupational lives of individuals, families, collectives, and communities. Two or more identities or diversity factors may create compounding societal positions of marginalisation, discrimination, and oppression. Intersectionality and its outcomes, when viewed through a human occupation and occupational justice perspective, are termed 'occupational intersectionality'. As a critical practice perspective, occupational intersectionality offers occupational therapists a lens to identify identities and positionings that perpetuate inequities and restrict occupational engagement and participation for individuals, families, groups, and communities. PURPOSE:This article will (i) review the general concept of intersectionality; (ii) introduce and define the new concept of 'occupational intersectionality'; (iii) examine its relationship to social and occupational justice, including the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework (POJF); (iv) situate occupational intersectionality within the Canadian Occupational Therapy InterRelational Practice Process (COTIPP) and the Transactional Model of Occupation (TMO); (v) illustrate its application through a vignette; and (vi) contextualise occupational intersectionality by mapping identities, positionings, and diversity factors with the key elements of the COTIPP, TMO, and POJF. KEY CONCEPTS:The main concepts discussed include intersectionality, occupational intersectionality, occupational privilege and power, occupational oppression, and occupational discrimination, bias, and prejudice. The sociocultural identities and positionings that contribute to occupational intersectionality are discussed in the context of the POFJ, COTIPP, and TMO. IMPLICATIONS:Occupational intersectionality, as a professional stance, supports occupational therapists in recognising sociocultural identities and positionings of clients, families, groups, and communities that may hinder occupational engagement, participation, health, and wellbeing. Ongoing development, critical consideration, and practical application of occupational intersectionality are strongly recommended. Advancing this approach is essential for promoting social and occupational justice in occupational therapy practice. CONSUMER AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:No consumer or community involvement took place in relation to the drafting of this manuscript.

AIM:Reading is a meaningful everyday occupation for children. This study explores the association between children's participation in reading occupations and their reading self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. METHODS:Thirty-one children (mean age: 10.13; SD: 1.09; 61.3% girls) were recruited. They completed four instruments: Inventory of Reading Occupations-Pediatric (IRO-Pedi), Reading Preferences and Habits of Primary School Students Questionnaire (RPHPSSQ), Self-Efficacy Questionnaire in Literacy Reading (SEQLR), and Intrinsic Motivation Questionnaire in Literacy Reading (IMQLR). Spearman's rho correlations were completed. RESULTS:The RPHPSSQ students' preferences and reading habits subscale was positively associated with the IRO-Pedi reading mastery (rs = .47, p = .008) and reading frequency subscales (rs = .59, p = .001). The IRO-Pedi reading social support frequency subscale showed significant positive correlation with the RPHPSSQ value given to reading (rs = .48, p = .006) and the SEQLR progress subscales (rs = .54, p = .002). The IRO-Pedi reading repertoire subscale was positively correlated with the IMQLR perceived autonomy subscale (rs = .47, p = .008). CONCLUSION:Children's reading occupational participation correlates with their reading self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Occupational therapists should collaborate with schools and families to understand children's reading self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation when supporting children's reading engagement.

AIM:Pretend play and executive functioning underpin developmental skills required for everyday functioning. Pediatric occupational therapists' practice often supports children in the development of these skills. Limited attention has been given to examine the association between these two concepts in school-aged children. This study investigated the association between executive functioning and pretend play skills in neurotypically developing children aged 9-12 years. METHODS:Twenty-nine (12 male, 17 female) participants aged 9-12 years old completed the Animated Movie Test (AMT), Affect in Play Scale-Brief Rating version (APS-BR), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second edition (BRIEF2). Spearman's rho correlations were used to examine the association between the factors. RESULTS:The BRIEF2 Emotional Regulation Index (ERI) was significantly correlated with the APS-BR Frequency of Affect (rs = .40., p = .033) while the BRIEF2 Cognitive Regulation Index (CRI) and Global Executive Composite (GEC) were both significantly associated with the APS-BR Tone of affect subscale (rs = -0.47, p = .011; rs = -0.39, p = .035). The AMT Generation of problems subscale was significantly correlated with the BRIEF2 CRI (rs = -0.49, p = .007) and GEC (rs = -0.40., p = .030). CONCLUSION:The findings provide evidence to suggest that aspects of executive functioning and pretend play are correlated for primary school aged children aged 9 to 12.

Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to provide an overview of the purpose of assessment, approaches to assessment and types of assessment in an occupational therapy context. The chapter will also describe top-down and bottom-up assessments, and outline the skills, attributes, areas and domains that occupational therapists typically assess. This chapter will also present a summary of the tests, scales and measures typically used by occupational therapists in their professional practice.

Background Patient outcomes and the organisational success of healthcare institutions are largely influenced by the wellbeing of its staff. Occupational therapy is the fastest growing allied health profession in Australia. Current empirical literature, however, has not investigated the professional wellbeing amongst this group. Objective This study explored the professional wellbeing of Victorian bed-based, Grade 2 occupational therapists regarding their professional identity, job satisfaction, turnover intention, work engagement and experiences of work-related burnout. Method Thirty-two Grade 2 occupational therapists completed an online survey involving demographics and measures of burnout, job satisfaction, professional identity, turnover intention, and job demands and resources. Eight participants were interviewed to further explore these concepts. Quantitative data were analyzed using Spearman's correlations and linear regression modelling. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results A significant positive correlation was found between professional identity and job satisfaction (ρ = .516, p = .002), and a significant negative correlation was observed between professional identity and two burnout subscales: disengagement (ρ = −.533, p = .001) and exhaustion (ρ = −.507, p = .002). A regression model accounted for 39.2% of the variance of participants’ professional identity ( p = .002). Notable qualitative findings included the contributors to and preventers of staff turnover, implications of working in a discharge-driven environment, and importance of various coping strategies to mitigate the pressures of competing job demands. Conclusion This research contributes to the growing understanding of professional wellbeing amongst Grade 2 occupational therapists working in hospital environments, and the factors that contribute to and hinder their wellbeing.

INTRODUCTION:Scoping reviews are an increasingly popular methodological approach to collate evidence and synthesise knowledge in many fields including occupational therapy. However, many are published with potential methodological weaknesses. To address this issue, nine methodological recommendations that authors could adopt to improve the quality and rigour of published scoping reviews are proposed based on the authors' opinions and the published evidence. OVERVIEW:It is suggested that when authors are completing a scoping review, they can consider completing one or more of the following methodological guidelines: (1) refer to the Levac et al.'s (2010) scoping review recommendations, the JBI Scoping Review Protocol, and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist as methodological guides; (2) include grey literature as a standard component search strategy approach; (3) include thesis and dissertations as recognised sources of evidence; (4) apply a recognised research methodology critical appraisal/quality assessment tools and scales to evidence selected for inclusion in scoping reviews; (5) assign a level of evidence (LoE) framework to the selected evidence; (6) apply a recognised qualitative knowledge syntheses approach to the data extracted; (7) report the steps taken to ensure the trustworthiness of the qualitative knowledge synthesis approach used; (8) include consumer, stakeholder and community consultation; and (9) apply a scoping review-specific critical appraisal/quality assessment tool as a quality assurance activity. The authors are not proposing that the nine recommendations are mandatory, but instead they are methodological guidelines that scoping review authors can incorporate if they choose. CONSUMER AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:Consumers and community members were not involved in the writing of the manuscript. CONCLUSION:Adopting the suggested methodological recommendations as a regular part of completing occupational therapy-related scoping reviews will increase their quality, precision, and rigour.

During the primary school years, children develop skills and body functions which support their occupational participation in activities like play, self-care, academic learning, social participation, and sleep. Interoception, emotional regulation and anxiety management skills are three body functions that underpin children's occupational participation and performance. This scoping review explored what is known in the published and grey literature about the relationship between interoception and emotional regulation or anxiety, and occupational participation in school-aged children. The review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines for reporting and the methodology was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology for Scoping Reviews. Evidence which met the inclusion criteria were critically appraised using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool and analyzed using narrative synthesis. Two themes with the capacity to impact childhood occupational participation emerged: (i) interoception and emotional regulation may be related, and (ii) education may improve interoceptive awareness. No anxiety-related themes were identified. This review supports the need for further research to understand the relationship between children's interoception, their ability to regulate their emotions and anxiety, and their impact childhood occupational participation.

Introduction:Physical literacy encompasses the confidence, motivation and competence to engage in physical activity. While physical literacy is often self-reported, its relationship to actual motor skill performance remains unclear. This study explored the association between children's self-perceived physical literacy and their objectively measured motor skills. Method:Twenty-eight neurotypical children aged 8-12 years completed two self-report measures of physical literacy: Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth Self and Physical Literacy for Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest). Participants also completed the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition (BOT-2). Spearman's rho correlations were conducted to examine the relationships between the PLAYself, Physical Literacy for Children Questionnaire and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition. Results:One statistically significant positive correlation was found between the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition Body Coordination composite and the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth Self Relative Rankings - Physical Literacy subscale (ρ = 0.41, p < 0.05). No other significant correlations were identified between the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition and either of the two physical literacy self-report tools. Conclusion:Most self-reported physical literacy scores were not significantly associated with motor skill performance, suggesting a minimal relationship overall. However, children with stronger coordination reported higher scores in movement and sport. Combining self-report and performance-based tools may provide a more holistic understanding of children's physical literacy and occupational participation.

AIM:To examine the convergent validity and known-groups validity of the two children's self-report physical literacy (PL) scales. METHODS:Twenty-eight neurotypical children aged 8-to-12-years completed the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth Self (PLAYself) and the Physical Literacy for Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest). Spearman's rho correlations were used to examine the convergent validity of the PLAYself and PL-C Quest, and independent t-tests were conducted to evaluate the known-groups validity by comparing boys' and girls' self-reported PL scores. RESULTS:Multiple statistically significant correlations were found between the PL-C Quest and PLAYself subscales, including a positive correlation between the Total Percentage scores of each scale (rho = .56, p < .01). Additionally, one statistically significant difference was found between girls (M = 227.13, SD = 54.83) and boys (M = 177.75, SD = 55.76) on the self-reported PLAYself Relative Rankings - Literacy subscale score, t(1) = 2.34, p = .03. CONCLUSIONS:The PLAYself and PL-C Quest exhibited several significant correlations, supporting their convergent validity. However, only limited evidence of known-groups validity was provided with only one significant difference between the two child-reported PL scales. These results suggest a need for further research to explore alternative factors influencing children's PL.

Family members may be impacted by complex care requirements around childhood disability, although little research provides guidance on the changing needs of families under unexpected circumstances. This study investigated parents' experiences and reports of the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia on family members in families raising a child with a disability and at least one other child. This study focused on parents' perspectives of their own, their child without disability and overall family experiences. This mixed-methods study included measures of the impact on siblings, parent distress and four open-ended questions about family impacts, from parents' perspectives. Thematic analysis guided qualitative data analysis. Eighty parents/carers participated. Parents/caregivers reported high distress and that siblings increased their participation in direct caregiving and household tasks but received minimal educational support. Findings revealed challenging impacts on all family members, changes to relationships within the family and impacts on family functioning. Overall, COVID-19 lockdowns impacted family ecology and well-being for parents and siblings. This study recommends that families raising children with disabilities and other children need more support and individualized accommodations for each family member, especially siblings, when the family is impacted by extreme service disruption and multi-system changes as occurred over the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Introduction: Pretend play is recognized as an essential occupation for children's successful development, particularly related to social and cognitive skills. Creativity is also a key skill that underpins children's development and their participation in daily occupations. However, the relationship between children's pretend play and creativity has received limited attention in the pediatric occupational therapy peer-reviewed literature to date. The objective of this study was to examine the association between neurotypical school-age children's pretend play skills and aspects of their self-reported creativity. Methods: 34 neurotypical children aged 8-12 years completed the Animated Movie Test (AMT), Affect in Play Scale - Brief Rating scale (APS-BR), Creative Self-Efficacy Scale for Children and Adolescents (CASES), and Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale (K-DOCS). Data were analyzed using Spearman's rho correlations. Results: Three statistically significant correlations were obtained: i) APS-BR Frequency of Affective Expression and CASES Personality creativity subscales (r(s) = .39, p < .05); ii) APS-BR Imagination and K-DOCS Artistic creativity subscales (r(s) = .38, p < .05), iii) AMT Set-up and Preparation and K-DOCS Artistic creativity subscales (r(s) = .37, p < .05). Conclusion: The findings reveal several positive significant associations between pretend play and creativity factors, including emotional expression in pretend play and personality creativity, imagination and preparational skills in pretend play and artistic creativity. The results indicated that when working with children, it is crucial for occupational therapy practitioners to support children's emotional expression, imaginative exploration, and engagement in preparation of pretend play. Tailored creative play intervention can contribute to the imaginative exploration and artistic expression of children and enhance pretend play. Further research is recommended in this area.