Project Mentor
Dr. Sudha Srinivasan
Department: Kinesiology
Project Overview:
Children with hemiplegia have impaired movement skills and muscle strength on one side of their body, leading to significant limitations in daily function and participation. Children with hemiplegia receive many types of rehabilitation services over prolonged durations to meet their high therapy goals, which makes it difficult to maintain their motivation to participate. This project proposes an innovative, child- and family-friendly, community-based training program using modified, commercially available, joystick-operated ride-on-toys to promote self-initiated use and movement skills in the affected upper extremity in young children with hemiplegia between 3 and 8 years. Our current NIH funded study compares our novel ride-on toy intervention (called SPEED training) with a program based on conventional occupational therapy involving seated arts and craft activities (called CRAFT training).
One of the key factors related to intervention success and positive child outcomes is the level of engagement maintained throughout sessions. Engagement is a dynamic co-constructed process that depends on factors related to the child, provider, and their interaction as a whole. By studying levels of engagement during our rehabilitation sessions, we can develop a better understanding of the factors that lead to child disengagement and incorporate more strategies that help with child re-engagement.
Role of a SHARE Summer Apprentice:
We are looking for 1 student to work on our above-mentioned NIH funded study. This student will be trained to observe videos of children and use a pre-designed coding template to assess factors related to engagement levels of children, providers, and caregivers in a 6-week play-based intervention protocol.
Specifically, the student will be able to assess how engagement levels can vary based on numerous factors related to the session and the stakeholders. The student will be able to compare engagement levels across the duration of the intervention (early versus late sessions), between the two interventions (SPEED and CRAFT), and observe how engagement may differ based on the expertise level of providers and amount of caregiver support.
Summer Schedule/Time Commitment:
Our work is flexible in terms of days and times that the student will be able to work. We will set up a time for weekly meetings at the start of the summer per student and faculty mutual convenience so that the student can plan their schedule and other work-related responsibilities accordingly; however, we are flexible in adjusting meeting times in case of any unforeseen circumstances. We anticipate that students will need to put in more time during the start of the summer since they will be learning new skills; as they get more comfortable, the time they need to put in to complete assigned goals on a weekly basis will decrease. The project the students will work on is ongoing, so work can begin immediately at the start of the summer.
Students are required to complete CITI training given that our research is with human subjects (details will be provided by the study PI). Virtual meetings will be held for training and weekly meetings will be scheduled throughout the summer per student and faculty mutual convenience.
Preferred Qualifications:
We are looking for a passionate, energetic, empathetic, and responsible undergraduate student interested in working on a project that assesses engagement levels in a rehabilitation intervention with children with hemiplegia ages 3-8. Students are required to complete CITI training given that our research is with human subjects (details will be provided by the study PI). Students from diverse backgrounds including but not limited to psychology, exercise science, communication sciences, allied health, and education are encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
The application opens on Monday, March 2, 2026. Click here to submit an online application for this SHARE apprenticeship through the Quest Portal. The application deadline is Monday, March 30, 2026, at 11:59pm.
Click here to view an outline of the general application questions. In addition to the general questions, applicants for this apprenticeship will be asked to upload your resume or CV in your application.
Please note:
All students hired for a SHARE Summer apprenticeship must complete a federal I-9 form and present original documents in person to OUR staff as part of the hiring process. Visit this U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services page for more information about acceptable documents. You cannot begin working until this is complete. Students are encouraged to plan ahead for this. For example, if you are going home for spring break, consider bringing original documents back to campus with you.