Publication: PEDIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON BARRIERS AND FACILLITATORS TO HOME PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
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Date
2026-04-16
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Type
Poster
Abstract
This study explores pediatric occupational therapists’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators that influence a family's participation in home programming for their child. Home programs are a central component of pediatric occupational therapy practice and support skill development and the generalization of therapeutic gains across different environments. Research suggests that embedding interventions within a family's natural routine can actively promote meaningful participation in children. This can be through the occupations such as play, feeding, and everyday activities. Factors such as caregiver stress, socioeconomic constraints, geographic location, and characteristics of the home environment may negatively affect the family's engagement and overall adherence to the program's structure during their interactions with the program. Creating routines can help with providing structure, predictability, and security for both the children and their caregivers. This makes routines more effective in the context of the intervention. Despite the given evidence, there are still barriers to successful home program implementation.
A qualitative survey design was used to gather perspectives from licensed pediatric occupational therapists who work in outpatient clinical settings. Open-ended survey questions were distributed electronically to outpatient pediatric clinics in Maine to collect descriptive information on therapists’ experiences, the perceived barriers families face, and strategies used to support engagement in home programming. Participation was voluntary and anonymous to encourage honest and detailed responses. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns across the responses.
Findings from this study aim to inform more contextually responsive home programming approaches and identify strategies that may improve family implementation. Having a stronger understanding of therapists’ perspectives on the barriers and facilitators of programming can help identify and enhance the implementation, engagement, and long-term sustainability of pediatric occupational therapy interventions delivered in the home context.