The document provides instructions for creating a research poster, including reviewing sample posters and an article on best practices. It discusses font size, logo placement, poster size, image and graphic quality, and elements that make a poster engaging. A sample student research poster is also included, with sections on the problem, methodology, results, conclusions, and references. The poster summarizes a study on the occupations of school-aged children who have siblings with cognitive or behavioral disabilities.

1. Creating a Poster

2. Creating a Poster
• Review the following article with your group:
Miller, J. E. (2007) Special Articles: Capacity Building for Health
Services Research; Preparing and Presenting Effective Research
Posters. HSR: Health Services Research 42:1, Part I. DOI: 10.1111/j.
1475-6773.2006.00588.x
• What are the basics/rules for a poster?
• Review the Thesis Manual for Stanbridge College Specific Instructions

3. Review Sample Posters
• How big is the font?
• Where is the college logo?
• How big is the poster?
• Are the pictures and graphics high quality?
• What makes the poster “pop”?
• What would you do differently?

4. OCCUPATIONS OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN WITH SIBLINGS
WITH COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES
Courtney M. Harris
Occupational Therapy Department, Dominican University of California
Thesis advisor: Janis Davis, Ph.D., OTR/L
Problem
Occupations need to be addressed at the level of the family in family-centered care
(Werner DeGrace, 2003). All members of the family, including siblings, play a vital role in
the functioning of the entire family. The sibling relationship has a significant effect on the
adjustment and development of the individual siblings (Pike, Coldwell, & Dunn, 2005).
However, the impact of having a sibling with a disability has not been well addressed in
the occupational therapy literature.
Children who have a brother or sister with a cognitive or behavioral disability may
experience a change in their occupations as a result of their role within their family. For
example, siblings of children with Down syndrome, mental retardation, and autism may
participate in caregiving activities to help meet some of their families’ needs (Benderix &
Sivberg, 2007; Hannah & Midlarskly, 2005). Occupational therapy is a discipline well
suited to examine the occupational impacts and changes in occupational performance as a
result of having a sibling with a cognitive or behavioral disability.
The goal of this study was to add to the growing family-centered literature and base of
knowledge about occupations in a unique context.
Methodology
Research design:
This study was a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive qualitative design
utilizing focus groups to explore the occupations of children with siblings with cognitive
and behavioral disabilities.
The study was guided by the Occupational Adaptation model of practice which asserts
that when a person faces an occupational challenge, such as having a sibling with a
disability, they experience internal and external role expectations that guide how they
adapt to that occupational challenge (Schkade & Schultz, 1992).
Participants:
Eighteen participants age 7 to 13 participated in the study. All participants had a sibling
with a cognitive or behavioral disability. Autism was the most common diagnosis followed
by Down syndrome, mental retardation, and learning disability.
Procedures:
The participants’ parents gave informed consent for their child to participate in the
study and the participants gave assent. The participants’ parents also filled out a
demographic questionnaire.
The researcher led three 1-hour focus groups of 3-12 participants using prompts to
guide the discussion. The researcher guided the focus groups using the following
questions which were guided by the literature review findings. The questions were open-
ended to promote discussion between the study participants.
•What is your everyday ‘day’ like?
•Are there any activities you feel you should do because of your sibling?
•Are there any special activities you get to do because of your sibling?
•Are there any activities you cannot do?
Analysis:
Qualitative content analysis was used for this study. The researcher read each of the
verbatim transcriptions and created a descriptive category scheme to identify underlying
themes. The data was analyzed at the individual, group, and interaction levels.
The demographics form was analyzed using descriptive statistics to establish basic
information about the participants.
Discussion
Children with a sibling with a cognitive or behavioral disability engage in a variety of
occupations typical for school-aged children. Two unique occupations described were play
and caregiving. Play was often impacted by the participants teaching their siblings or their
siblings playing differently. Participants described caregiving as a way to help both their
sibling and their parents.
The following chart demonstrates the internal and external role expectations described
by the participants, the occupational adaptations they engaged in, and the evaluation of
this response. Each of the responses required a different amount of energy and may or
may not have been satisfying for the participants.
Occupational Challenge
Internal: External:
My sibling is missing out Social expectations
My sibling cannot do it My sibling is demanding
I am missing out My parents expect my help
I am responsible for my sibling
Occupational Role Expectations
Response:
I give in to my sibling
I teach my sibling
I get to do special activities
I defend my sibling
Evaluation:
It’s all about my sibling
I did the right thing
That was embarrassing
Purpose and
Research Questions
The purpose of this research was to explore the occupations of children with siblings with a
cognitive or behavioral disability and any occupational impacts they perceive as a result of living
with their sibling.
The research questions are:
1) What occupations does a child with a sibling with a cognitive or behavioral disability engage
in?
2) What internal and external role expectations does the child perceive as a result of living
with their sibling?
3) What adaptations, if any, has the child made to his/her occupations as a result of living with
their sibling? Is this response functional or dysfunctional?
Literature Review
Sibling’s Role in the Family:
•Parents may be unaware of how the disability of one child impacts the relationship
between siblings
•Children need to understand the nature of the disability
•Children often have a role in handling the negative behaviors of the sibling with the
disability (Unrah, 1992)
•Children may have difficulty communicating with their sibling or expressing their feelings
about their sibling to their family
Potential Psychosocial Impacts:
•Children who have a sibling with a cognitive or behavioral disability may experience
stress and aggressive behavior
•Children may be embarrassed about sibling (Benderix & Sivberg, 2007)
•Children may worry about the future (Mascha & Boucher, 2006)
Potential Occupational Impacts:
•Leisure, school, social relationships may be impacted if the child is embarrassed about
their sibling or has less time to devote to these activities(Unrah, 1992)
•Children may act as a teacher instead of playmate (Trent-Stainbrook et al., 2007)
•Children may help with caregiving activities (Hannah & Midlarsky, 2005)
•Children may experience social isolation or withdrawal (Benderix & Sivberg, 2007)
Results
It’s All About My Sibling
Participants described their lives as revolving around their sibling with a disability.
Participants felt their families’ attention, schedule, and physical space was defined by
their sibling. The participants also described their siblings getting special treatment, being
embarrassed by their sibling, and their sibling demanding their way.
“When he is there, I think my parents, they sometimes, they focus on him, and they
seem to get stressed, and they seem to take it out on me. Not like harsh, but like, it seems
like he gets his way more than I get my way, when he’s around”
It’s Normal For Me
Participants also described the outlook that their daily lives were typical for them even
if different than their peers. The participants described giving in to their sibling, getting
special activities, playing with their sibling, and an outlook that they could not imagine their
life any other way.
“It seems like the rest of my family just sees him as a kid who has special needs, I see
him as my brother”
It’s My Job to Help
The participants felt they should help care for their sibling. The participants described a
sense of responsibility for their sibling, defending their sibling, teaching their sibling, and
helping with caregiving tasks.
“I think I should maybe try to teach her how that game is supposed to be played. Like,
my parents try to but I don’t think they have enough help”
Conclusion
Children with siblings with cognitive and behavioral disabilities experience unique
expectations and occupations. This study identified changes in occupation as well as
internal and external role expectations experienced by children with siblings with
disabilities. Occupational therapists have a role to address the sibling of the child with a
disability when looking at the family’s occupational functioning.
References
Benderix, Y. & Sivberg, B. (2007). Siblings’ experiences of having a brother or sister with autism and mental
retardation: A case study of 14 siblings from five families. International Pediatric Nursing, 22(5), 410-418.
Hannah, M. E. & Midlarsky, E. (2005). Helping by siblings of children with mental retardation. American Journal on
Mental Retardation, 110(2), 87-99.
Mascha, K. & Boucher, J. (2006). Preliminary investigation of a qualitative method of examining siblings’
experiences of living with a child with ASD. The British Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 52, 19-28.
Pike, A., Coldwell, J. & Dunn, J.F. (2005). Sibling relationships in early/middle childhood: Links with individual
adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(4), 523-532.
Schkade, J. K. & Schultz, S. (1992). Occupational adaptation: Toward a holistic approach to contemporary
practice, Part 1. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46(9), 829-837.
Trent-Stainbrook, A., Kaiser, A. P., & Frey, J. R. (2007). Older siblings’ use of responsive interaction strategies and
effects on their younger siblings with Down syndrome. Journal of Early Intervention, 29(4), 273-286.
Unrah, A.M. (1992). Siblings of children with special needs. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 59(3),
151-158.
Werner DeGrace, B. (2003). Occupation-based and family-centered care: A challenge for current practice.
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(3), 347-350.
(IRBPHS # 7094, March 30, 2009)

7. *Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, Utah, 84606; (**OtherAuthors’Affiliations)
Author’s Name and Credentials*; (**Additional Author’s Names and Credentials)*
Title
Background & Purpose
Methods
Table 1. Title
Results
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Figure 1. Title
Table 2. Title
Table 3. Title
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Table 5. Title
Conclusions
Literature Cited
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8. Sample Templates
• https://www.scientificphoto.com/Poster%20Creation.htm
• http://www.posterpresentations.com/html/free_poster_templates.ht
ml
• https://postersmith.com/