Parents' Experience with the CO-OP Approach: A Consolidation of Three Qualitative Investigations

BACKGROUND.

In the cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance (CO-OP) approach, parent involvement is critical for transferring skills from therapeutic settings to everyday contexts.

PURPOSE.

This study aimed to gain insight into the experience of parents whose children with developmental coordination disorder participated in CO-OP intervention.

METHOD.

This consolidation of three small qualitative studies investigating parents' experience involved an inductive qualitative content analysis of 10 parent interviews and 1 parent focus group.

FINDINGS.

Four overarching themes emerged as depicting parents' experience. Although parents recognized the improvements their children made with the intervention, they also expressed several challenges, such as incorporating CO-OP tasks into daily routines, shifting of parent-child relationship and feeling self-efficacious with the approach.

IMPLICATIONS.

This study highlights that parent observation of intervention sessions is not enough to support parents applying CO-OP at home. Research is needed to understand how to best engage parents in the CO-OP approach.

CO-OP for Children with DCD: Goals Addressed and Strategies Used

INTRODUCTION.

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts motor coordination and interferes with participation in everyday activities. Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) is a client-centered treatment approach that focuses on skill acquisition through cognitive strategy use.

OBJECTIVES.

To determine which types of goals a sample of children with DCD choose most frequently and which domain-specific strategies were most commonly used to address these goals.

METHODS.

Retrospective chart review of 50 children (8-12 years) with DCD who completed CO-OP intervention was conducted to identify goal types and strategy use.

RESULTS.

Leisure was the most common goal type. Supplementing task knowledge, body position, and task modification were the most frequently used strategies.

CONCLUSIONS.

Results confirm the types of goals that are commonly selected by children with DCD and highlight commonly used strategies used to meet these goals. Findings will help guide occupational therapists in selecting appropriate strategies to meet children's goals.