Contacts

Sally Wojnar-Horton | Head of Department  
Sally.Wojnar-Horton@health.wa.gov.au 

Dr Suzi Taylor | Research Coordinator 
Susan.Taylor4@health.wa.gov.au

Occupational Therapists are committed to maximising a child’s potential for building and recovering skills that enable participation in everyday activities and occupations e.g. self-care, productivity (school, peer interaction), play, relationships and leisure, which can be disrupted as a result of disease, trauma, and medical interventions requiring admission to an acute paediatric hospital. Fifty percent of staff have research qualifications including Masters, PhD or 1st class honours. The department also supports a university honours program linked with Curtin University.

Key Research Areas

• Therapeutic use of play
• Cognition
• Best practice clinical interventions
• Best practice assessment and outcome measurement
• Outcomes of equipment modification and use.

Current research activity

• ‘Promoting the use of quality assessments in a paediatric occupational therapy department: A quality improvement initiative’ Taylor, S., Fowler, B., Watters, S., Van Asselt, D., Edwards, S., Pickering, R. Sidhu, C. Elliott, O. Naylor, P. Kerwin., & Wojnar-Horton, S. (2020). New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(1), 31-37.
• ‘Evaluation of the Upper Limb Terminal Device Library within the Limb Difference Service at Perth Children’s Hospital’ (Masters program undertaken by Yvette Pickering – ongoing)
• ‘An Occupational Therapy investigation into cognitive assessment of children and adolescents with acquired brain injury: A scoping review’ (Clinical supervisors Samantha Watters, Jodie Mazzucchelli, Suzi Taylor - completed Nov 2020, collaboration with Curtin University honours program)
• ‘A scoping review of trauma related symptoms and associated interventions: Focus on Occupational Therapy’ (Clinical supervisors Beth Mucciarone, Ranita Sidhu, Lee Henry, Suzi Taylor - completed Nov 2020, collaboration with Curtin University Masters program)
• ‘Characteristics of an autism friendly children’s hospital: An Occupational Therapy investigation’ (Clinical supervisors Karlee Clarke, Natalie Cavallo, Chelsea Pforr – due for completion Nov 2021, collaboration with Curtin University honours program)
• ‘The use of coaching by Occupational Therapists in acute tertiary settings’ (Clinical supervisors Isabelle Pontre, Joanna Craig, Suzi Taylor – due for completion Nov 2021, collaboration with Curtin University honours program).

Extra Resources

• CAHS Library database for articles.