Advancing Disability Research

Faculty members in the Department of Occupational Therapy are making meaningful contributions to disability research through scholarship that addresses important questions related to occupational therapy assessment and interventions. 

Expanding Access to Early Infant Motor Screening

Teresa Fair-Field, OTD, OTR, Clinical Assistant Professor, and colleagues at Early Markers have received a Phase II Notice of Award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to further develop and validate Cribsy, an innovative approach to infant motor screening. Cribsy uses parent-recorded smartphone video and artificial intelligence to help identify infants who may be at risk for motor delays.

The next phase of the project will focus on expanding access to early developmental screening, particularly in rural and underserved communities where specialized services may be difficult to access. As part of this work, Fair-Field is seeking opportunities to bring infant screening pop-up events directly into communities.

Baylor OT alumni practicing in rural or outlying areas who see a need for infant developmental screening are invited to reach out about bringing a screening pop-up, and Fair-Field, to their community. These events can help connect families with developmental screening, resources, and appropriate follow-up while giving alumni an opportunity to support earlier identification in the communities they serve.

Promoting Well-Being for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease

Barbara M. Doucet, PhD, OTR, Clinical Associate Professor and Post-professional OTD Program Director, has been accepted to present a scientific poster at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Conference in Washington, D.C. Her poster will highlight outcomes from her 2025–26 Parkinson’s Foundation award grant, “Walking and Talking and Flourishing: Optimizing Well-Being in Parkinson’s.”

The project reflects Doucet’s work examining approaches to supporting well-being and participation among individuals living with Parkinson’s. ACRM works to improve the lives of people with disabling conditions through evidence-based research and has more than 100,000 members worldwide, and the conference provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for sharing advances in rehabilitation science and clinical practice. 

Advancing Assessment for Military Special Operations Personnel

Kelli Cabrera, OTD, OTR, CHT, Clinical Lecturer, is working to validate the Operator Syndrome Symptom Scale–Self Report (OSSS-SR), an assessment developed specifically for military special operations personnel to capture the range of symptoms associated with operator syndrome. The assessment has completed its first round of validation testing and is now in another phase of data collection, with a goal of reaching up to 600 respondents. To the research team’s knowledge, it would be the first assessment of its kind.

The work aligns closely with occupational therapy’s whole-person perspective by recognizing how physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related concerns may collectively affect daily life and participation in meaningful activities. Although treatment of every symptom may fall outside the scope of occupational therapy, OTs can play an important role in identifying concerns, advocating for clients, and facilitating appropriate referral and interdisciplinary care.

The project was recently featured in Military Times and has also been highlighted in several online articles, bringing broader attention to the needs of the special operations community.