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This course explores innovative approaches to supporting parents with disabilities through research, collaboration, and adaptive practice. Alesha Thomas, founder of the Adaptive Parent Project, shares her lived experience and advocacy journey, while Dr. Amy Lyons-Brown discusses the development of a pro bono, transdisciplinary clinic model designed to address the unique needs of disabled parents.
Grounded in the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model and the Parenting Occupations and Purposes Framework, the presenters examine common parenting challenges -- including bathing, diapering, community access, and in-home caregiving tasks -- and highlight gaps in traditional healthcare and occupational therapy services. They discuss findings from mixed-methods research identifying key barriers and themes, emphasizing the need for specialized evaluations, adaptive strategies, and home modifications.
The course also introduces a transdisciplinary care model that fosters collaboration among parents, students, and professionals, prioritizing empowerment and holistic support. Participants will gain insight into tele-health service delivery, innovative clinic design, adaptive baby-wearing and equipment solutions, and practical strategies for addressing environmental and social barriers.
This session challenges providers to move beyond impairment-focused care and toward inclusive, strengths-based support for parents with disabilities—while offering actionable tools to expand services in clinical and community settings.
Participants will be able to verbalize the ethical need for pro bono clinics to provide occupational therapy services to individuals, groups, and populations.
Participants will be able to verbalize the ethical need for pro bono clinics to provide occupational therapy services to individuals, groups, and populations.
Participants will be able to describe 3 needs for parents with disabilities related to parenting that can be met with occupational therapy services.
Participants will be able to identify 3 areas for evaluation and 3 types of intervention that could be utilized when working with parents with disabilities to promote participation in parenting.
Participants will be able to verbalize 1 benefit for provision of occupational therapy services through use of a pro bono clinic.
Participants will be able to verbalize 1 benefit for provision of occupational therapy services through use of a pro bono clinic.
Participants will be able to identify 2 areas for continuing professional development related to the provision of occupation therapy services for parents with disabilities.
Alesha Thomas
Alesha Thomas is the founder of Adaptive Parent Project, 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to empowering parents with disabilities. She was diagnosed at the age of one was cerebral palsy spastic diplegia. She received her bachelors degree in human biology from the University of California, San Diego. After the birth of her son Nolan in 2019, she started sharing adaptive parenting techniques on YouTube because she could not find many resources or supports for parents with disabilities.
In 2021, Alesha was named an Aerie Changemaker and APP became an official nonprofit. in 2024, she completed the UC San Diego extended studies Lactation program and is now an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) specializing in providing care to families with disabilities. She strives to help disabled parents and their families thrive and is passionate about educating healthcare professionals who work with people with disabilities.
Dr. Amy Lyons-Brown is a Doctoral Coordinator and Assistant Professor at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) on the San Marcos, CA campus, where she teaches in the residential program for occupational therapy. She has been an occupational therapist for more than 20 years.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1998 from Augustana College in Illinois and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1999 from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2015, she graduated from A.T. Still University with her Doctor of Occupational Therapy, with an emphasis on prevention and population health.
Dr. Lyons-Brown’s clinical experience includes working across the continuum of care and across the lifespan focusing on occupational performance in neurological populations such as stroke, traumatic and acquired brain injury, Parkinson disease and dementia. In addition, Dr. Lyons-Brown has experience in clinical management as a director of rehab in skilled nursing.
She has served in academia as contributing faculty and an assistant professor since 2011 at the master’s and doctoral levels. Her research and scholarship interests include educational methodology for development of critical thinking skills, healthcare outcome measurement tools and prevention of intimate partner violence. She joined USAHS in 2019.
This lecture was created to support professionals committed to advancing maternal and women’s health. Once inside, you’ll be able to watch on your own time and revisit the content whenever you need.
