Shay Dawson

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Employing an International Research Collaboration Framework to Pilot Test an Evidence-Based Recreational Therapy Program

Therapeutic Recreation Journal

The field of recreational therapy has well-established methods of scientific collaboration within... more The field of recreational therapy has well-established methods of scientific collaboration within the United States yet historically there is a scarcity of International Research Collaborations (IRC). IRC could provide many benefits to the field as well as encourage the pollination of new ideas and philosophies to other continents and cultures. The purpose of this paper is to present an IRC framework and to describe the steps that would bring successful IRC to the field of recreational therapy.

Spatial disparities in physical inactivity prevalence and residential recreation opportunity from a regional planning perspective

한국관광학회 국제학술발표대회집, 2019

Analysis of a Year-Round Mentoring Program for Youth with Physical Disabilities Attending a Medical Specialty Camp

Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership

Residential medical specialty camps provide short-term psychosocial benefits to youth with health... more Residential medical specialty camps provide short-term psychosocial benefits to youth with health conditions during summer camp, yet extinguishing effects are commonly seen in followup data as campers return to home and school settings (Dawson, 2017; Knapp et al., 2015; Moola et al., 2014; Plante et al., 2001). Innovative year-round support approaches are needed to enhance existing residential medical camps to improve long-term psychosocial outcomes associated with the months following the summer experience (Dawson, 2017; Dawson et al., 2018). This study is a qualitative analysis of an online mentoring support program designed as a follow-up approach in the months after residential summer camp experience has ended. The mentoring support program matched adolescent campers with a physical disability to an adult mentor having a similar disability and was structured through an online support curriculum facilitated by a recreational therapist. Qualitative analysis yielded two major theme...

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Spatial Disparities in Obesity Prevalence and its Key Determinants from a Regional Recreation Planning Perspective

Spatial Statistics Conference, 2019

Evaluating Equine Assisted Therapy Program Prevalence in Eastern Europe and the United States

7th Annual Honors Research & Creative Endeavors Exhibition, Dec 1, 2019

Establishing an Evidence-Based Program through an International Collaboration in Recreational Therapy

Therapeutic recreation journal, 2022

Equine-Assisted Therapy with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Serbia and the United States: A Pilot Intervention

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 2022

Adolescent and young adults with a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the severe to mode... more Adolescent and young adults with a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the severe to moderate functioning range were recruited for this study in Serbia and the United States (U.S.). A total of ten participants, five from each respective country, participated in a 15- week equine-assisted therapy (EAT) intervention that utilized ground-based learning through a manualized program approach. The purpose of the study was to test the effects of a manualized 15-week EAT intervention on the social functioning of individuals with severe to moderate ASD across two cultures using a single subject research design. Nine out of 10 participants displayed improved social functioning over the course of the 15- week EAT intervention in both cultures.

Manualized Equine-Assisted Therapy Protocol for Clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 2022

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is an increasingly popular intervention for people with various dis... more Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) is an increasingly popular intervention for people with various disabilities and diagnoses. However, a lack of evidence-based protocols has hampered efforts to provide standardization of treatment. The Galloping Towards Success (GTS) protocol was designed specifically for clients with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is described in this paper. The 15-week manualized EAT protocol was previously tested across multiple sites in Serbia and the U.S. (Dawson et al., 2022) demonstrating the protocol’s preliminary effectiveness in increasing social skills in 9 out of 10 individuals with moderate to severe ASD. This manuscript aims to provide professionals with information regarding the GTS 15-week protocol, including an introductory overview, description of participants, assessment, planning weekly intervention activities, evaluation procedures, documentation, limitations, and author comments. This protocol will help create consistency in ...

Camp War Buddies: Exploring the Therapeutic Benefits of Social Comparison in a Pediatric Oncology Camp

Therapeutic recreation journal, 2012

Cancer survival rates for youth have improved by 20%-30% in the past two decades, resulting in a ... more Cancer survival rates for youth have improved by 20%-30% in the past two decades, resulting in a greater need for therapeutic interventions that address the resulting psychosocial needs of patients post traditional medical treatment (Greenlee, Murray, Bolden, & Windgo, 2000). The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of attendance at a pediatric oncology camp designed to support the psychosocial needs of youth 8-18 years of age. Campers attending the oncology camp from Sunday through Friday were given a 12-item evaluation at the beginning of the week (pretest) and again at the end of the week (posttest) to gather quantitative data on independence, social skills, and self-esteem. A threemonth follow-up telephone interview was conducted to generate qualitative emerging themes. Findings suggest that campers had statistically significant improvements in self-esteem while emergent themes included a supportive community, normalizing experience, positive recollection of their cam...

A Network Analysis of Youth with Physical Disabilities Attending a Therapeutic Camp

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 2018

Pediatric clients with physical disabilities are at-risk for psychosocial stress compared to peer... more Pediatric clients with physical disabilities are at-risk for psychosocial stress compared to peers without health conditions. Therapeutic camps are one program known to provide positive psychosocial outcomes yet effects tend to extinguish over time. The value of therapeutic camps in improving true reciprocal friendship opportunities while enhancing important matters discussant groups is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the impact camp participation had on enhancing reciprocal relationships and important matters discussant group alters, test for significant differences reported by children and adolescents, and examine the distribution of reported alters within networks. An important matters discussant group name generator centered on four hierarchical role-relation prompts along with one exchange relation approach question. The name generator was administered to 76 youth with physical disabilities 8-18 years of age attending a two week residential camp. Statistically significant differences were found for adolescents seeking out non-relative peer supports in comparison to children. No difference was found in years attending camp and network composition despite 21% of the overall networks comprised of camp contacts indicating a possible social inoculation effect regardless of years attending. Distribution of important matters alters appears to be skewed toward relatives. Future implications focus on testing and improving the therapeutic camp model to address the extinguishing psychosocial effects post camp by capitalizing on the potential rapid social inoculation that may be currently confined to short term residential experiences. Subscribe to TRJ

Effect of a mentoring program for adolescents with physical disabilities attending a therapeutic camp

Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, 2021

PURPOSE: Youth with physical disabilities are at an elevated risk for poor psychosocial health. P... more PURPOSE: Youth with physical disabilities are at an elevated risk for poor psychosocial health. Pediatric medical camps are one common intervention utilized to provide short-term psychosocial support. However, there is a growing criticism that the effects of such programs diminish as participants return to home and school settings post residential camp experience. A post camp support intervention, the first known in the literature, was tested for perceptions of mattering and self-esteem. Specifically, this study examined the psychosocial effect of a year-round mentoring and online support program as an adjunct to residential camp (intervention) as compared to peers that attended only the summer residential experience (comparison group). METHODS: A quasi-experimental design using an intervention and comparison group was implemented. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance to test for within group and between group effect. RESULTS: A small effect (partial η2=...

The comfort derived from social comparisons at a camp for youth with neuromuscular disease

American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 2018

Evidence suggests that disability-specific camps may positively affect the social domains of yout... more Evidence suggests that disability-specific camps may positively affect the social domains of youth with disabilities while attending residential programs. However, research has not focused on neuromuscular disease-specific camps despite a national programming presence. The current study used a qualitative phenomenological approach with 14 youth from a Muscular Dystrophy Association specific camp. The five to six-month post camp interviews yielded three themes associated with the participants' camp experience. There were recollections of the activities related to the camp, a strong feeling of comfort while participating in this week-long experience, and an apparent ease to which all of the participants were able to get along with each other due to the acceptance of each camper and their life's story. The application of social comparison theory to individuals experiencing health conditions is used to interpret the findings of this exploratory study.

Family Battle Buddies Program: A therapeutic program for reintegrating National Guard families

American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 2017

It is widely documented that military deployment contributes to family stress, yet little attenti... more It is widely documented that military deployment contributes to family stress, yet little attention has been given to the psychosocial stressors associated with the reintegration phase post-deployment. Challenges associated with reintegration include role ambiguity, communication breakdown, conflict, and increased risk for parental divorce. The Family Battle Buddies Program (FBBP) was developed as an evidenced-based practice approach to address the reintegration phase of military life for returning National Guard families. In this report, the authors detail the theoretical foundations and specific program components of the FBBP.

Proximity to parks and natural areas as an environmental determinant to spatial disparities in obesity prevalence

Applied Geography, 2019

, while prevention is a global priority due to its associated chronic diseases ((Finucane et al.,... more , while prevention is a global priority due to its associated chronic diseases ((Finucane et al., 2011); Must et al., 1999). In the last two decades, obesity researchers have attempted to better understand this global epidemic, yet no single theory clearly explains the various factors that contribute to obesity. Biological studies posit that genetic influences may increase susceptibility to obesity (Bouchard, 1995; Dierk et al., 2006; Finucane et al., 2011) while the molecular biological perspective views obesity as a multifactorial, complex condition, with high hereditability. Studies on the social determinants of obesity, including variables such as age, race, ethnicity, education level, and socioeconomic status indicate varying levels of influence on obesity (Barr, 2014; LaVeist, & Isaac, 2012). Some researchers have turned their attention to environmental variables, e.g., access to healthy food (Ball, K.,

format_quoteOLS results revealed obesity prevalence positively correlates with poverty and African-American population proportions.format_quote

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Social Inoculation and the Extinguishing Effects of Pediatric Medical Camps: Proposing a Framework for the Other 51 Weeks

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in Public Health, 2017

Abstract:A growing body of literature identifies short term residential medical camps as efficaci... more Abstract:A growing body of literature identifies short term residential medical camps as efficacious for promoting needed psychosocial support while the majority of studies, with a few exceptions, also confirm the extinguishing effects of these outcomes at follow-up (Devine & Dawson, 2010; Devine, Piatt, & Dawson, 2015; Knapp, Devine, Dawson, & Piatt, 2015). This growing body of evidence may indicate a need for an adjusted program model for the medical camp industry with a strong theoretical grounding to address the other 51 weeks of the year. The following highlights both the strengths and shortcomings of the medical camp model while introducing a program framework that has the potential to produce more long term therapeutic outcomes upon return to integrated home life.

The Role of a Disability-Specific Camp in Promoting Social Acceptance and Quality of Life for Youth With Hearing Impairments

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 2015

Social acceptance, a foundation for friendship development and social inclusion, occurs when ther... more Social acceptance, a foundation for friendship development and social inclusion, occurs when there is equal status among individuals, regardless whether the individual has a disability or not. Disability-specific residential camps for youth with similar life experiences may be one environment where social acceptance occurs. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social acceptance and health-related quality of life for youth attending a residential summer camp specifically designed for people with hearing impairments who have cochlear implants or hearing aids. Results indicated disability specific residential camps may have an impact on social acceptance and perceived health related quality of life.

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Bringing camp war buddies to the homefront

A mixed method assessment was conducted on nineteen camps (from nine states) dedicated to childre... more A mixed method assessment was conducted on nineteen camps (from nine states) dedicated to children (ages 8–18) with disabilities to learn more about the psychosocial impact during and after these residential experiences. The quantitative analysis included the administration of two psychosocial instruments one week (n=135) and then 12 weeks (n=96) following the camp experience. A phenomenological analysis was then conducted seven months post camp for the qualitative assessment (n=40). Results from the quantitative portion found that certain social skills such as making friendships increased between the post and 12 week assessment. However, social acceptance decreased during the same time period. The qualitative assessment found a strong positive affect toward the camps and the activities the campers experienced. A strong community presence was communicated through the ability to relate to others while being surrounded by an empathetic environment. The depth of social support was capt...

Impact of a resident camp experience on children with chronic illness

Therapeutic recreation journal

Camp War Buddies: Exploring the Therapeutic Benefits of Social Comparison in a Pediatric Oncology Camp

Therapeutic recreation journal

Cancer survival rates for youth have improved by 20%-30% in the past two decades, resulting in a ... more Cancer survival rates for youth have improved by 20%-30% in the past two decades, resulting in a greater need for therapeutic interventions that address the resulting psychosocial needs of patients post traditional medical treatment (Greenlee, Murray, Bolden, & Windgo, 2000). The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of attendance at a pediatric oncology camp designed to support the psychosocial needs of youth 8-18 years of age. Campers attending the oncology camp from Sunday through Friday were given a 12-item evaluation at the beginning of the week (pretest) and again at the end of the week (posttest) to gather quantitative data on independence, social skills, and self-esteem. A three-month follow-up telephone interview was conducted to generate qualitative emerging themes. Findings suggest that campers had statistically significant improvements in self-esteem while emergent themes included a supportive community, normalizing experience, positive recollection of their ca...

Examining Perceptions of Social Acceptance and Quality of Life of Pediatric Campers with Physical Disabilities

Children's Health Care, 2013

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of social acceptance (SA) and quali... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of social acceptance (SA) and quality of life (QOL) amongst youth with disabilities who participated in a weeklong residential camp experience with similar peers. Findings demonstrated moderate quantitative correlational results between the constructs of SA and QOL. Strong qualitative outcomes three months post camp demonstrate the powerful social impact of the camp experience. These findings related to the theme of a supportive community that is consistent with other findings on the therapeutic value of community at specialty camps for children with disabilities. Despite favorable social support memories, qualitative analysis revealed a general negative feeling from campers of the lack of transference of these positive social experiences to their local communities. This new finding, although preliminary in nature, begins to paint a picture of the possible need for the development of follow-on programming post social treatment at camp.

Shay Dawson

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