Document Type

Scholarship Project

Publication Date

Spring 5-2024

College/Unit

School of Medicine

Department/Program/Center

Occupational Therapy

Abstract

This research study aimed to discover what strategies of developmental programming are integrated into early childhood curriculum, whether occupational therapy had a role in the formation of the guidelines, and the importance of early intervention on child development. A case study with ethnographic methods was used, including observations and interviews, to gain an understanding of how sociocultural phenomena affect rural childcare centers in Morgantown, West Virginia. Data was collected and coded into 14 themes, and then analyzed by student researchers. Results from interview data found that daycare teachers are given the choice to follow provided lesson plans or individualize their activities, the majority of teachers did not have experience working with children with diagnoses or delays, and inconsistencies were found at both daycare centers regarding the knowledge of childcare providers had regarding the developmental screening process of children at their site. Results from the observation data included that all children had access to developmentally appropriate toys but teachers were not consistently facilitating appropriate play to reach developmental milestones, there were varying degrees of engagement between the teachers and children for skill development and appropriate instruction, all classrooms followed a consistent schedules routine that was posted in the room, each classroom had access to developmentally appropriate equipment to facilitate daily routines such as mealtime, nap time, and diapering/ toileting, and each classroom had the opportunity for individualization. Our findings are consistent with our hypothesis that occupational therapists could have a role in the development of daycare curriculums to facilitate physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development.

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