Honours provided the perfect combination of academic and personal challenge. I developed core skills in time and project management, research appraisal, and academic writing. These enhanced my other course work and helped me to stand out to potential employers. I was fortunate to learn from highly experienced professionals that I continue to collaborate with beyond university. As a whole, the program expanded my vision of what my career could be and opened doors to contribute to important developments in my field of interest.

Sonia Elliott
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)

Course information

The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) equips students to develop in-demand industry skills and to be evidence-based clinicians, with the skills and experience to pursue further research.

The two-year embedded Honour program is completed as part of the final two years of the Degree. One Honours unit in each semester replaces a unit from the Bachelor degree. Students are able access materials and resources from the units which are replaced. The Honours units directly support students with the foundation knowledge to complete a literature review, develop a research proposal, implement the project, and write it up in the form of a journal article. The Honours units are completed with Honours students from the School of Allied Health, physiotherapy, social work and speech pathology, which provides a valuable interprofessional experience in addition to research experience.

Available projects reflect a range of clinical and professional areas which could include assistive technology, mental health, aged care, and paediatrics. Each project has a supervision team which works closely with the student and brings clinical/professional or research methods expertise.

Eligible students will have a GPA ≥5.5 and have completed all second-year units.

Check the relevant handbook for details of the Honours program

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Previous projects

People with significant disability and particularly communication difficulties are frequently excluded from research, both as research participants and as consumer research partners. Consumer research partners provide their lived experience to the implementation of research to ensure it is meaningful and authentic, and the outcomes are important. This scoping review is exploring available literature and resources to identify evidence about including people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in research. The Honours student is developing a deep understanding of the experiences of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and expertise in searching for, appraising and synthesising evidence. The student will make a substantial contribution to this poorly understood research and human rights issue.

Project supervisor(s) including affiliations: Dr Amanda Brignell (ACU), Assoc Prof Margaret Wallen (ACU), Dr Joanne Watson (Deakin University)

Botulinum toxin-A injections are used to reduce overactive muscles in children with cerebral palsy. The selection of muscles to inject is driven by child and family goals. Goals may be related to reducing pain or improving children's ability to do everyday tasks such as playing and dressing. The Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy Functional Impact Scale (D-FIS) quantifies the impact of dyskinesia on everyday activities. The team is trialling the D-FIS as a goal setting tool and outcome measure for children having Botulinum toxin-A injections. Honours students on this project are working with families to complete the D-FIS before and after Botulinum toxin-A injection clinics, complete interviews with families about using the D-FIA, and analyse the data from the D-FIS and interviews to inform about ongoing use of the D-FIS in this area.

Project supervisor(s) including affiliations: Assoc Prof Margaret Wallen (ACU), Dr Kirsty Stewart (The Children's Hospital at Westmead), Kylie Aroyan (The Children's Hospital at Westmead), Sarah Charlesworth (Parent with lived experience)

This project investigated the outcomes and perspectives of twenty-six adults who received hand therapy in a public health service in Sydney. An honours student, Alexandra Chrystie, collected data directly from patients with different hand conditions, such as fractures or tendon injuries, before and after their therapy using patient-reported questionnaires. Information collected included measures of functional ability, quality of life and satisfaction with the therapy received. The analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data was completed using different statistical and qualitative computer programs. As part of this project, a manuscript of study results is being prepared for submission to a journal for publication.

Project supervisor(s) including affiliations: Dr Liana Cahill (ACU), Dr Lauren Christie (St Vincent's Health Network, Sydney, ACU), Meredith Rogers (St Vincent's Health Network, Sydney)

Honours student publications - last 5 years

Roxburgh R, Hughes J, Milgate W. (2024). Using time diaries to inform occupational therapy practice for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An exploratory study. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03080226241249279

Cowan, H. J. K., Sheppard, L., & Harrington, R. (2024). Young adults with intellectual disabilities participating in employment-related activities using the pathways and resources for engagement and participation intervention: A case study. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12580

Dissanayake, R., Olivieri, R., Aguey-Zinsou, M., Yule, E., & Dunn, L. (2024). Exploring mental health consumer experiences of the strengths model of case management: A phenomenological study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 33(1), 175-184. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13238

Headrick, K., Thornton, M., Hogan, A., Deramore Denver, B., Drake, G., & Wallen, M. (2023). Consumer involvement in research - parent perceptions of partnership in cerebral palsy research: A qualitative study. Disability and Rehabilitation, 45(3), 483-493. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2034992

Sammells, E., Logan, A., & Sheppard, L. (2023). Participant outcomes and facilitator experiences following a community living skills program for adult mental health consumers. Community Mental Health Journal, 59(3), 428-438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01020-x

O'Donohue, E., Aguey-Zinsou, M., Yule, E., Fairhurst, I. & Debaets, M. (2023) Mental health consumer perspectives of a person-centred multidisciplinary care planning meeting on a rehabilitation inpatient unit. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 32, 1701-1712. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13192

Cavens, C., Imms, C., Drake, G., Garrity, N., & Wallen, M. (2022). Perspectives of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy about involvement as research partners: A qualitative study. Disability and rehabilitation, 44(16), 4293-4302. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2021.1900927

Unsworth, C. A., Baker, A., Morton-Kehle, D., & Darzins, S. (2022). Survey of occupational therapy driver assessors' rehabilitation interventions with older drivers. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 42(2), 115-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492211050634

Harvery, M., Froude, E. H., Foley, K.-R., Trollor, J. N., & Arnold, S. R. C. (2021). Employment profiles of autistic adults in Australia. Autism Research, 14(10), 2061-2077. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2588

Farrugia, T., Hewitt, A., Bourke-Taylor, H., & Joosten, A. V. (2019). The impact of carer status on participation in healthy activity and self-reported health among Australian women over 50 years. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 66(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12491

Vousden, B., Wilkes-Gillan, S., Cordier, R. and Froude, E. (2019), The play skills of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder in peer-to-peer interactions with their classmates: A multiple case study design. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 66, 183-192. https://doi:10.1111/1440-1630.12530

Morris, A., Imms, C., Kerr, C., & Adair, B. (2019). Sustained participation in community-based physical activity by adolescents with cerebral palsy: A qualitative study. Disability and Rehabilitation, 41(25), 3043-3051. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1486466

Stacey, T.-L., Froude, E. H., Trollor, J., & Foley, K.-R. (2019). Leisure participation and satisfaction in autistic adults and neurotypical adults. Autism, 23(4), 993 1004. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361318791275

Stone, A., Cooke, D., Morton, D., & Steele, M. (2019). Reliability of revised scoring methods for the Schenkenberg Line Bisection Test with adults following stroke: Preliminary findings. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 82, 750 - 758. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308022619866377

More information

If you have any other questions in relation to completing an honours degree, please contact Associate Professor Margaret Wallen, Honours Course Coordinator for Occupational Therapy via email: Margaret.wallen@acu.edu.au

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