Lynne Hollaway, an occupational therapist and clinical instructor at the University of Central Arkansas, recently completed her doctoral degree through the VCU College of Health Professions’ Ph.D. Program in Health Related Sciences. Her research is already having a positive impact in the field of pediatric occupational therapy.

Focused on enhancing caregiver participation during therapy sessions for children with autism, Hollaway developed the Caregiver Engagement in Intervention Model (CEIM) as part of her dissertation. She tested the model within the context of Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) during an 8-week intervention involving six children and their caregivers. The study found that the CEIM model was both feasible and acceptable to families and demonstrated moderate to large effects on caregiver engagement.

Hollaway recently presented her findings at the OT Summit of Scholars in Seattle, alongside her mentor Stacey Reynolds, Ph.D., PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Ph.D. director of the Ph.D. program and director of research in occupational therapy.

Hollaway will present next at the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine (ACRM) in October. As she continues publishing and expanding her research, Hollaway aims to validate the CEIM model further and explore its impact on children’s occupational performance.