People with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) face participation barriers in arts and
recreation settings including museums, theaters, and festivals. These barriers often relate to
environmental factors including crowds, public attitudes, and lack of staff training. Occupational
therapists (OTs) provide consultation for arts and recreation organizations to address these
barriers, and existing research shows OT consultation has been positively received by
organization staff and caregivers of people with NDDs. However, research on OT consultation in
arts and recreation settings is limited, and no best practice guidelines exist. Therefore, the goal of
this study is to strengthen the evidence base for OT consultation through utilizing novel
methodology and contributing foundational data to anchor development of best practice
guidelines for OT consultation in arts and recreation settings. Aim 1 is to investigate OTs’
process components when engaging in organization-level consultation in arts and recreation
settings. Aim 2 is to explore feasibility of a mixed methods approach using Goal Attainment
Scaling for examining organizational outcomes of OT consultation and organizational
perspectives on OT consultation. Aim 3 is to explore feasibility of a quasi-experimental
approach to examine the impact of OT consultation on people with NDDs’ experiences of
belonging in arts and recreation settings. Outcomes of this research include dissemination of
findings to inform design of future outcome studies and larger scale investigations. This research
is a vital step in developing best practice guidelines for OT consultation that will maximize
accessible and inclusive arts and recreation participation for people with NDDs. This study falls
under NIDILRR’s Community Living and Participation domain.
