American Journal of Recreation Therapy

Abnormal psychology: Essential coursework with an outdated name

Rhonda Nelson — 2024-12-01

Volume 23, Number 3

American Journal of Recreation Therapy — 2024-12-01

A contextual history of how ATRA became the sole professional membership organization for recreational therapy

Emily Messina — 2024-12-01

For more than a decade, the profession has finally been housed in one sole professional organization, the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA), begging the question: How have we achieved unification? This article addresses this question by looking into our history to illuminate the events that have occurred and shaped ATRA, with the goal of understanding how today’s professional membership organization came into being, and how it defines itself, stipulates its mission and goals, and represents the profession.

Perspectives on clinical supervision: Recreational therapy and the need for rigorous clinical supervision

Cedomir Stanojevic — 2024-12-01

Clinical supervision improves patient care, performance, and safety in recreational therapy (RT) but is mostly limited to internships. A consistent and frequent supervisory process is needed throughout the professional life of RT clinicians to improve clinical practice and increase the fidelity of supervision. In this paper, the authors emphasize the importance of clinical supervision and provide an overview of it, accentuate the need for a consistent approach to it within the field of RT, provide input from other professionals who have actively engaged in producing knowledge on this subject matter, and evaluate the possible application of clinical supervision into RT.

Recreational therapy’s impact on preschool children: Parent and teacher perceptions

Brittany Dao — 2024-12-01

This study examined the congruence between parental and educator assessments of child development following recreational therapy (RT) interventions in a university child development laboratory (CDL).

Methods: Children classified as developmentally delayed underwent RT treatments for 11 weeks, while parents and teachers administered the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to evaluate developmental advancement.

Results: The Mann–Whitney U test revealed no statistically significant differences in the perspectives of parents and teachers regarding child developmental domains (communication: U = 3,197.000, p = .281; gross motor: U = 2,984.000, p = .766; fine motor: U = 2,594.500, p = .253; problem solving: U = 2,971.000, p = .807; personal–social: U = 2,409.500, p = .069).

Discussion/implications: The findings indicate a widespread agreement between parents and teachers about children’s growth, highlighting the significance of joint efforts between home and school settings. Subsequent research should investigate more intricate methodologies and incorporate qualitative insights to deepen comprehension of caregivers’ perspectives on child development.

Evaluating the effects of adaptive therapeutic climbing on the strength and well-being of patients with upper limb differences: A pilot study

Nina Lightdale-Miric — 2024-12-01

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the feasibility and potential impact of adaptive therapeutic climbing (TC) program as an intervention to improve both psychosocial health and hand function of children with congenital upper limb differences (CULDs).

Methods: Participants completed 6 weeks of 1-hour group adaptive TC sessions with pre- and post-participation functional tests of active and passive range of motion (ROM) and manual muscle testing as well as evaluations for psychosocial impact using the Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents, Perceived Life Satisfaction Scale, and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System short forms. Feasibility outcomes of the program were also evaluated.

Results: Although seven children began the study, three children dropped out due to socioeconomic hardship related to attendance. Of the four that completed the study, two participants with symbrachydactyly (complete absence of one hand) demonstrated improvement in contralateral tip pinch and bilateral shoulder ROM. Active and passive ROM for shoulder flexion and abduction improved in all children by at least 20° bilaterally. Overall, mean psychosocial scores were similar among study participants and healthy peers. Participants consistently attempted more climbs and some even higher grade routes.

Conclusion: Adaptive TC programs are likely impactful and safe for children with CULD and may improve function and flexibility of affected and unaffected limbs. Obstacles preventing attendance affected families of lower socioeconomic status.

Offering mental health supports to college students in a rock climbing course: A recreational therapy program evaluation

Elizabeth Obray — 2024-12-01

This program evaluation was part of a broader research study that aimed to evaluate a new recreational therapy (RT) program focused on developing resiliency and self-efficacy in college students through a combination of rock climbing, mindfulness, and reflective journaling activities. RT programming was imbedded in an introductory college rock climbing course offered over three consecutive days, and participants experienced significant increases in resiliency and self-efficacy post-program. Given the multifaceted structure of the intervention, this program evaluation aimed to (a) clarify the role of specific program elements by assessing the RT program’s alignment with its 12 intended objectives and (b) determine the program’s appropriateness for its intended clientele by assessing perceived value to college students. Evaluation surveys revealed that 11 of the 12 objectives (91.67 percent) were met based on established thresholds for participant feedback, indicating that the program content and activities were well aligned with the intended objectives. Additionally, all of the participants (N = 12) either agreed (n = 4) or strongly agreed (n = 8) that the program had value to them.

The buzz about bees: Beekeeping for veterans

T. Brenner — 2024-12-01

After separating from the military, some veterans may experience a loss of identity, support, and community. Some researchers have begun to look at how recreation can be used to help veterans transition into civilian life with potentially promising results. However, more research needs to be done on how the potential benefits of serious leisure (SL), more specifically beekeeping as SL, for veterans can help with transitioning post-service. This research indicates that recreational therapists should consider using beekeeping through the Hives for Heroes network as a potential tool to assist veterans during the transition process. The data from this research confirmed that participants were identifying with a SL pursuit even before beginning work as members of the Hives for Heroes network, and this identification was strengthened as their participation continued. Recreational therapists may be able to utilize this research to help implement a SL strategy for a more successful transition from the military.