On World Occupational Therapy Day, the “4th Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Applications” scientific program was held by Üsküdar University Institute of Health Sciences Occupational Therapy and Music Therapy Application and Research Center (MÜTEM). The program, led by Prof. Dr. Sevda Asqarova, Head of the Occupational Therapy Department, was attended by expert occupational therapists in the field.
The online program was attended by Vice Rector, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, OT. Mustafa Sağlıyan, OT. Zeynep Özdemir, OT. Melike Aslan, OT. Zeynep Ender, Neurophysiologist Dr. Lecturer Aymen Balıkçı, Dr. Isabel Beaudry Bellefeuille, OT. Menekşe Yüksel, OT. Leyla Ak, OT. Şevval Kazan, OT. Emel Gençtürk and OT. Büşra Ağcan.
Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel: “Occupational therapy is an important field supporting community participation”
Vice Rector, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel delivered the opening speech at the online event. Ergüzel stated; “Occupational therapy is a very valuable and important field that strengthens people's ability to perform daily life activities and supports their participation in society. With your contributions to health and quality of life, each of you works with dedication to improve the quality of life and support the independence of individuals and families who need this support.”
Prof. Dr. Sevda Asqarova: “The program will continue periodically”
Prof. Dr. Sevda Asqarova, Head of the Occupational Therapy Department at Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, emphasized that this program is an important platform where occupational therapists share their research. Asqarova stated; “As every year, the coincidence of World Occupational Therapy Day with October 29th Republic Day is significant for us. This special day makes our program even more meaningful. Today, we will meet our valuable guests in our program. In addition to Dr. Isabel Beaudry Bellefeuille, a pioneer in occupational therapy, and Neurophysiologist Dr. Lecturer Aymen Balıkçı, who has made great contributions to the field of occupational therapy, our expert occupational therapists, master's students, and faculty members will share their thoughts on occupational therapy and their rare research in the special field. The program, titled 'Evidence-based occupational therapy applications', which we are holding for the fourth time today, is an important platform where occupational therapists will share their research and present rare and special topics, and this program will continue periodically.”
OT. Mustafa Sağlıyan: “When we look at its foundation, we use the magic of occupational therapy”
OT. Mustafa Sağlıyan, who delivered his presentation titled ‘Evidence-Based Testing and Goal Setting Process for a Child Who Knows 7 Languages But Cannot Speak’; “When we look at the foundation of evidence-based practices, we use the magic of occupational therapy. We need to identify the child's strengths and weaknesses. By utilizing their strengths, we should guide the child's play and activities and ensure they reach our goals. In other words, we have many ideas even before seeing the child. In line with these ideas, we consider the situations that might cause anxiety for the family or discomfort for the child, and their diagnosis, before the assessment; the child's developmental history, skills, and various information are important for us in this process. Therefore, by leveraging the power of play, we primarily aim to determine the child's strengths and weaknesses.”
OT. Zeynep Özdemir: “As a result of the intervention, complaints significantly decrease”
OT. Zeynep Özdemir, who delivered her presentation titled ‘Selective Mutism in Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Practices’; “Our paths cross with a child diagnosed with selective mutism. First, the family undergoes a psychiatric evaluation. After the psychiatrist makes the necessary diagnosis, the child is referred to a psychologist, and the play therapy process begins. With the psychologist's guidance, sensory-motor difficulties in the child are noticed during the play therapy process, leading to a referral to an occupational therapist. During the occupational therapy assessment process, the family contacts us; an interview is conducted, goals are determined, and the process is initiated. In this process, we collaborate with the school and family, and when the process is completed, all parties continue their lives with satisfaction. In 11 months of occupational therapy support, sensory integration disorders of the child diagnosed with selective mutism, having a somatodyspraxia pattern, were assessed, and an appropriate sensory integration intervention program was created. As a result of the intervention, it was reported that the complaints stated by the family significantly decreased.”
OT. Melike Aslan: “Occupational therapy can offer a comprehensive life to improve quality of life”
OT. Melike Aslan, who delivered her presentation titled ‘The Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy in Headache Management and Evidence-Based Application Methods’; “As we all know, headaches are a common health problem that leads to both loss of workforce and decreased quality of life. Occupational therapy can offer a comprehensive life to manage headaches and improve an individual's quality of life. It is very important for occupational therapists to support employees in areas such as organizing the work environment, managing stress, time management, planning, and physical activity and exercise programs.”
OT. Zeynep Ender: “They help children and their families cope with difficulties”
OT. Zeynep Ender, who delivered her presentation titled ‘The Role of Occupational Therapy in Corpus Callosum Agenesis’; “The structure we call Corpus Callosum, passes in the literature as the largest pathway involved in transmitting information reaching one hemisphere to the other. The term Corpus Callosum Agenesis is used to describe either the complete absence or partial absence of this structure. Research shows that its complete or partial presence or absence does not alter any behavioral or medical outcome or reveal a significant difference. In some studies conducted with parents of children with Corpus Callosum Agenesis, the problems that most affect their daily lives are defined as weak social skills and self-insight. Regardless of the intervention chosen in the rehabilitation process, the child's rehabilitation process must be organized according to the needs of both the child and their family, and revised when these change. Occupational therapists help children and their families cope with difficulties and master occupations that are meaningful to them, i.e., what they want to do or what is expected of them. If we are occupational therapists applying occupational therapy with children, the most fundamental thing that creates meaning for us should actually be childhood itself.”
Dr. Lecturer Aymen Balıkçı: “The main purpose of an enriched environment is to create an optimal environment by changing the quality and pathway of environmental stimuli”
Neurophysiologist Dr. Lecturer Aymen Balıkçı, who delivered his presentation titled ‘Enriched Environment in Autism: A Promising Approach’; “In autism, generally, there are two fundamental issues. The first is social interaction or social communication disorders. The other is restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. There are two main issues, but along with these, we can observe many additional problems. Cognitive skills, language skills, and adaptive functions can be affected. Particularly here, cognitive skills fall under the field of special education, and language skills under the field of speech-language pathologists. The area we call adaptive responses or adaptive functions here is very much in the domain of occupational therapy. The main purpose of an enriched environment is to create an optimal environment by changing the quality and pathway of environmental stimuli.”
Dr. Isabel Beaudry Bellefeuille: “Feeding and eating activity are carefully examined within the context and culture in which they typically occur”
Dr. Isabel Beaudry Bellefeuille, who delivered her presentation titled ‘Integrated Sensory Feeding: A Holistic Approach to Picky Eating and Food Refusal’; “Occupational therapists have the training, knowledge, and skills to work with people who experience feeding, eating, and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan. Occupational therapists assess clients with feeding, eating, or swallowing issues from a unique, holistic perspective that considers the physiological, psychosocial, cultural, and environmental factors that support or interfere with these important daily living activities. Feeding and eating activity are carefully examined within the context and culture in which they typically occur. In addition to direct individual intervention for a specific feeding, eating, or swallowing issue, occupational therapists also adapt the environment to support safe eating habits, provide adaptive equipment, and educate families and others in the community.”
OT. Menekşe Yüksel: “We can be a community-based occupational therapist”
OT. Menekşe Yüksel, who delivered her presentation titled ‘Standing as an Occupational Therapist Against Violence Against Women’; “We can provide occupational therapy support especially to individuals experiencing violence and their relatives regarding these issues. Psychosocial therapy and rehabilitation programs can be created. In other words, we can be community-based occupational therapists. Daily living skills can be lost depending on the situation experienced after violence. Recovering these is important, as is providing education to the community. We said that as individuals, we can participate in trainings. As occupational therapists, we can also provide these trainings. We can start creating awareness and we can form support groups. We can establish and utilize social connections. And most importantly, we must do this in a multidisciplinary way. Informing people about legal rights and support resources is one of our duties at this point. We have two phases: first, our preventive phase. Early intervention and awareness education are important here. The second is our curative phase, meaning how we can recover the situation after violence has occurred. Women and men have equal rights and values. Every individual has the right to make their own decisions and manage their own life. This must always be remembered and conveyed. We never give up on any client, whether child, adolescent, elderly, or adult.”
OT. Leyla Ak: “Open communication is important”
OT. Leyla Ak, who delivered her presentation titled ‘The Importance of Occupational Balance in Adolescent Mental Health’; “By occupational balance, we can think of all activities that add purpose and meaning to an individual's life, and it is important to incorporate these into their life in a balanced manner and in the right quantity. Time is actually a very important component for the concept of occupational balance. This also includes time management and the capacity to use time appropriately. Adolescence is a period when individuals develop their identity and take on different roles and the responsibilities of these roles. Here, the diversity of occupational participation, as I said, plays an important role in stress management and psychological resilience. Occupational balance does not follow a fixed process throughout individuals' lives. Here, especially sleep inefficiency due to screen use can also affect occupational balance and other mental health processes. The part I value most here is time management. Open communication and role model balance are also important here.”
OT. Şevval Kazan: “Regaining motor skills is one of our biggest goals”
OT. Şevval Kazan, who delivered her presentation titled ‘Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Interventions in Stroke Rehabilitation’; “Common symptoms observed in individuals who have had a stroke may include sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, difficulty with speech and comprehension, vision loss, and balance problems. In stroke rehabilitation, a multidisciplinary approach is implemented to help individuals regain lost skills and re-engage in their daily lives. We use various activities and techniques to maximize the individual's potential and restore their independence. As occupational therapists, we help individuals regain their daily living activities. Regaining motor skills is one of our biggest goals.”
OT. Emel Gençtürk: “Multidisciplinary approaches are important for us.”
OT. Emel Gençtürk, who delivered her presentation titled ‘Examination of Impulsivity in Children from an Occupational Therapy Perspective’; “We are talking about a complex concept that includes behavioral and cognitive components. We can generally describe it as a series of inappropriate or excessively risky, unplanned behaviors that often lead to undesirable consequences. Because the child cannot control their mind, thinks very fast, and acts on instant pleasures, we can observe that they experience problems with focusing and that this affects their learning processes. The most important task here falls to the family. We create an intervention plan for impulsivity as follows. For example, if a child has movement sensitivity, we need to be individual-specific as always when planning an intervention for impulsivity. Similarly, we need to address increasing attention, focusing, regulating behavioral problems, and therapeutic activities with a customized program according to the individual needs I just mentioned. Multidisciplinary approaches, by setting common goals such as what more we can do for the child, how they can control their impulses, and how we can increase their attention, are important for us.”
OT. Büşra Ağcan: “We aim to increase the functional use skills of individuals with low vision”
OT. Büşra Ağcan, who delivered her presentation titled ‘Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Practices in Low Vision Rehabilitation’; “Low vision and visual impairment describe any vision loss that cannot be corrected by glasses, contact lenses, or surgery, and low vision is defined as visual acuity of the better eye being less than 6/18 or a visual field of less than 20 degrees despite all corrections. Low vision is a visual impairment that restricts the ability to perform daily visual tasks. Visual problems in individuals cause difficulties in activities such as school, social life, and home life, as well as writing, reading skills, climbing stairs, and overcoming obstacles like sidewalks and steps. Vision loss is very common, and its prevalence is expected to increase with longer lifespans. Individuals with vision loss also experience difficulties in functional activity skills, quality of life, leisure, and participation in social activities. As occupational therapists, we aim to increase the functional use skills of the remaining vision level that individuals with low vision possess in daily living, productivity, and leisure activities.”
Presentations were evaluated comprehensively
Following the presentations held at Üsküdar University Institute of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Sevda Asqarova, Head of the Occupational Therapy Department, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the presentations with the occupational therapists.