Foundational concepts of collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children

Journal article


Lage, Carla R., Wright, Shelley, de S. Monteiro, Rafaelle G., Aragão, Luisa and Boshoff, Kobie. (2024). Foundational concepts of collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 71(5), pp. 851-867. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12952
AuthorsLage, Carla R., Wright, Shelley, de S. Monteiro, Rafaelle G., Aragão, Luisa and Boshoff, Kobie
Abstract

Introduction
In occupational therapy for children, collaborative practice with parents is crucial for meaningful family-centred interventions, yet it remains undefined and inconsistently addressed. This study aimed to establish foundational concepts for collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children in progressing the field with a universal description.

Methods
This paper encompasses the second dataset of a larger scoping review and a preliminary validation of findings by an advisory panel. Data were gathered from indexed sources on collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children (ages 0–10) using MedLine, PsychInfo, ERIC, Embase, OTSeeker, Scopus, and ProQuest Central. Data were extracted, charted, and descriptively analysed by paired independent reviewers. The Joanna Briggs Institute Manual and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis—extension for Scoping Reviews were used. A draft definition of collaborative practices, developed based on preliminary review findings and an operational definition, was validated by an advisory panel of 13 experienced Australian occupational therapists, whose input was integrated into a final, comprehensive description of collaborative practice.

Results
The scoping review encompassed 299 sources, revealing three major components of collaborative practice: ‘collaborative practice aims’, ‘parent–therapist partnership’, and ‘strategies for collaboration’. The advisory panel endorsed the draft definition, confirmed its professional relevance, and suggested some modifications.

Conclusion
The major outcome of this study is an evidence-based and discipline-specific preliminary description of collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children. This description provides a common language and foundational concepts for the future development of a collaborative practice framework to guide practice and research. Future studies can explore specific components, exploring their mechanisms and significance. Further expanded validation is required, incorporating the perspectives of a wider community of occupational therapists and families to enhance the description's applicability.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY
In occupational therapy for children, collaboration between parents and occupational therapists has been long acknowledged as important in the occupational therapy literature. It is an essential shift away from practices led by professionals to a practice that encourages parents to be engaged therapy partners. However, there has been little consistency in terms of a definition or description of collaborative practice and in what parts of therapy collaboration is used. To develop a draft definition of collaborative practice, we extracted relevant information from 299 papers between 1998 and 2022. Then, an advisory panel of 13 experienced Australian occupational therapists validated and enhanced our final description of collaborative practice. The data from the review was grouped into three major components of collaborative practice: ‘collaborative practice aims’, ‘parent–therapist partnership’, and ‘strategies for collaboration’. The advisory panel confirmed the draft definition and its relevance and suggested some modifications, which were used to refine the description. The major outcome of this study is a preliminary description of collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children that is based on the research evidence. This description provides a common language and foundational concepts for the future development of a collaborative practice framework to guide practice and research. Future studies are needed to explore specific components of collaborative practice, their relevance, and how they operate in practice. Further validation of the collaborative practice description is needed that would incorporate the perspectives of parents, families, and a wider community of occupational therapists to enhance the description's applicability.

Keywordsadvisory panel; caregiver; children; collaboration; definition; family; family-centred approach; occupational therapy; paediatrics; parent; parent engagement; professional–family relations; scoping review
Year2024
JournalAustralian Occupational Therapy Journal
Journal citation71 (5), pp. 851-867
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
ISSN0045-0766
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12952
PubMed ID38923580
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85196861817
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Page range851-867
FunderResearch Training Program Scholarship (RTP), Australian Government
University of South Australia
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online25 Jun 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted20 Mar 2024
Deposited02 Apr 2025
Additional information

© 2024 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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Collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children : A scoping review
Lage, Carla R., Wright, Shelley, de S. Monteiro, Rafaelle G., Aragão, Luisa and Boshoff, Kobie. (2024). Collaborative practice with parents in occupational therapy for children : A scoping review. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 71(5), pp. 833-850. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12974