Importance: Adults aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) continue to face barriers to participation in meaningful occupation; moreover, the increased life expectancy of adults with IDD intensifies the need for age- and environment-specific support. Objective: To map and categorize transdisciplinary literature on environmental modifications and supports for adults aging with IDD. Data Sources: Studies published between January 1, 2000, and January 1, 2019, identified through PubMed and Scopus. Study Selection and Data Collection: Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria and contained information specific to occupational participation based on environmental modification (e.g., physical space, technology, universal design, type of living setting), social supports (e.g., family members, caretakers, peer groups, health care professionals, policies, organizational infrastructure), or both and adults age ≥35 yr with IDD. Findings: Eleven studies met the criteria for this scoping review. Thematic coding was used to examine the articles within one or more themes: definition of need, environmental risk and assessment, environmental setting, intervention and program planning, use of technology, and bureaucracy. Conclusions and Relevance: This review highlights collective and individual outcomes in the areas of assessment, intervention, and advocacy. Further research is needed within the scope of occupational therapy and disability studies that examines environmental factors and participation outcomes in this population. What This Article Adds: The authors define the interconnectedness of adults aging with IDD and environmental factors, identify barriers to participation, and guide occupational therapy practitioners’ logic on how to positively affect environmental change and supports through intervention.

Importance: Missing from the recent literature is information about specific categories of assistive technology (AT) education provided in entry-level occupational therapy curricula. Objective: To examine occupational therapists’ perceptions of the AT education received in occupational therapy entry-level programs, specifically the AT categories in which therapists received training. Design: Quantitative survey study with Likert-scale, multiple-choice, or ordinal ranking-scale questions and three open-response questions. Format was a web-based Qualtrics survey tool; participants had approximately 2 mo to respond. Participants: Occupational therapists certified as Assistive Technology Professionals (ATPs) were recruited through the Rehabilitation and Engineering Society of North America email database (response rate of 21%; N = 148). Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes may contribute to determining what categories of AT are missing from occupational therapy entry-level curricula and what further education is needed to develop competency. Results: Occupational therapists with ATP certification did not perceive their entry-level curricula as having adequately prepared them in the AT categories of technology for learning disabilities (67%), computer access (57%), augmentative and alternative communication (57%), and accessible transportation (52%). Conclusions and Relevance: This study supports the need for occupational therapy entry-level programs to reexamine the categories and amount of AT training they currently provide. Future research with a larger and more generalized sample could provide more detailed evidence of which AT categories should be provided. What This Article Adds: This article provides evidence that to use AT in intervention, entry-level occupational therapists require increased training in specific AT categories.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) asserts that occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, through the use of occupations and activities, facilitate clients’ cognitive functioning to enhance occupational performance, self-efficacy, participation, and perceived quality of life. Cognitive processes are integral to effective performance across the broad range of daily occupations such as work, educational pursuits, home management, and play and leisure. Cognition plays an integral role in human development and in the ability to learn, retain, and use new information to enable occupational performance across the lifespan. This statement defines the role of occupational therapy in evaluating and addressing cognitive functioning to help clients maintain and improve occupational performance. The intended primary audience is practitioners ¹ within the profession of occupational therapy. The statement also may be used to inform recipients of occupational therapy services, practitioners in other disciplines, and the wider community regarding occupational therapy theory and methods and to articulate the expertise of occupational therapy practitioners in addressing cognition and challenges in adapting to cognitive dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to understand the age-related changes, adaptations, and contexts that support older workers in the manufacturing sector. METHOD. In a multiple-case study, 10 older workers from two manufacturing companies completed the Job Content Questionnaire, Health and Productivity Questionnaire, and semistructured interviews and underwent task observations for 8 hr over 4 mo. RESULTS. Age-related changes affecting job tasks included near vision, upper extremity strength, grip strength, joint stiffness, and endurance. Older workers adapted job tasks by changing their work style, using equipment available, and relying on close coworkers for assistance. They adapted their personal lifestyle to maintain the energy necessary to meet job demands. Organizational contexts that supported older workers highlighted job control, social support, and mutual respect. CONCLUSION. This study suggests that occupational therapy practitioners can provide individualized adaptations, environmental modifications, and health promotion strategies to help older workers meet job demands while balancing work and home occupations.

This systematic review examined the effectiveness of specific sensory techniques and sensory environmental modifications to improve participation of children with sensory integration (SI) difficulties. Abstracts of 11,436 articles published between January 2007 and May 2015 were examined. Studies were included if designs reflected high levels of evidence, participants demonstrated SI difficulties, and outcome measures addressed function or participation. Eight studies met inclusion criteria. Seven studies evaluated effects of specific sensory techniques for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Qigong massage, weighted vests, slow swinging, and incorporation of multisensory activities into preschool routines. One study of sensory environmental modifications examined adaptations to a dental clinic for children with ASD. Strong evidence supported Qigong massage, moderate evidence supported sensory modifications to the dental care environment, and limited evidence supported weighted vests. The evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions regarding slow linear swinging and incorporation of multisensory activities into preschool settings.