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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY NORTHRIDGE PLAGIOCEPHALY IN INFANTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDER’S KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES A graduate thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Art in Education, Educational Psychology By Bethany Morris May 2013 The graduate thesis of Bethany Morris is approved: _____________________________________ ________________ Sloane Lefkowitz Burt, MA Date _____________________________________ ________________ Joannie Busillo-Aguayo, Ed. D Date _____________________________________ ________________ Carrie Rothstein-Fisch, Ph.D., Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii DEDICATION The work done for this thesis would not have been possible without the positive support and encouragement I received throughout my entire career as a graduate student. The sincere gratitude and love I have for these special people in my life have brought me farther than they could ever know. First, to my wonderful boyfriend, Chris, you have kept me sane throughout this entire process. Thank you for feeding me when I did not want to take a break, for making me laugh when I needed it the most, and for knowing when I needed to be left alone in order to get work done. You are my best friend and I could not have gotten through this without your support and love. Second, to my parents: Mom, you have set such an incredible example of a strong and independent woman. You have always selflessly given to your children and allowed us to explore who we wanted to be in life. Dad, you have taught me empathy and I believe that is why I have found myself in this field. I am so proud and lucky to have your wisdom in my life. I love you both, thank you for supporting me in what I have chosen to do with my career. Thirdly, to my brilliant professor and mentor, Carrie Rothstein-Fisch, I would not be where I am today without your wisdom and guidance. You have been such an incredible role model for me as a professional, a scholar, and an early childhood educator. I have learned so much within the past two years and it is largely in part to your knowledge and generosity to help your students. Thank you for believing in me and for your enthusiasm in my work and my ability to grow. You have truly been a secondary source for this thesis and I could not have done it without you. iii Lastly, but definitely not least, I dedicate the birth of this thesis to Giddy. Thank you for teaching me so much more than I could have ever imagined and for being such a brilliant and sweet little boy. I continue to learn from you every day and I am lucky to be able to call myself your teacher. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, to Sloane Lefkowitz Burt, thank you for the time and energy you have put into helping me with this thesis. You have a keen eye for the things that have helped my paper sound professional. Another big thank you to Joannie Busillo-Aguayo for helping me format my paper and being so willing to help me out at the last minute. I could not have finished this paper without both of you. To Lauren and Krista, thank you for being there during this process with me. I have learned so much and improved in ways I would not have without your friendship and support. I am proud of all of us for getting through this together. I also want to acknowledge all of the wonderful teachers at La Petite Academy who I have the privilege to work with every day and who have taught me so much about working with children. I could not ask for better colleagues and I admire all of you for the work that you do with the children at our school. To Cindy Price and Launice Walker, thank you for helping me recruit participants who agreed to be interviewed. This thesis truly would not have been complete (quite literally) without those connections. I could not have asked for more knowledgeable and generous people to interview. Therefore, a huge thank you to the participants for sharing your wisdom and experiences with me. I admire and respect all of you and appreciate the time you dedicated to me. Finally, thank you to my sister Grace, brother Nathan, Aunt Samantha, Uncle Dick, Scotti, and to my best friends Amber and Joelle for being there for me and supporting me in what I love to do. I love you all. v ABSTRACT PLAGIOCEPHALY IN INFANTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDER’S KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES By Bethany Morris Master of Arts in Education, Educational Psychology The condition plagiocephaly, defined as a medical condition occurring in infants that is characterized by the reshaped, flattened, or deformed shape of the skull developed as a result of constant pressure being placed on any one area of the head (Kennedy, Majnemer, Farmer, Barr, & Platt, 2009), was explored using a convenience sample of local health care professionals. Six pediatric medical practitioners and six physical and occupational therapists were interviewed to gain a better understanding of the range of this condition in infancy as well as the common prevention and intervention strategies. A prominent theme that emerged from both the literature and current study’s interviews was the significance of “tummy time” during the first 4-6 months of infants’ lives. While this stood out as a major similarity between the two different groups interviewed, a major difference that emerged was the timing in which infants are treated by the particular health care professionals. Most interesting, the variables of the practitioners’ ages and years of experience in their field seemed to contribute to the sophistication of responses and a focus on infants’ whole development, putting plagiocephaly in a context of the overall development of the baby within the family. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE ..........................................................................................................ii DEDICATION................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ v ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 1 Back for Sleep......................................................................................................... 2 Background and Statistics....................................................................................... 3 Front for Play.......................................................................................................... 5 Problem Statement.............................................................................................................. 6 Purpose of the Research...................................................................................................... 6 Key Terms........................................................................................................................... 7 Preview of the Thesis.......................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................... 10 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 10 Prevalence, Risk Factors and Natural History of Plagiocephaly ...................................... 10 Methods ................................................................................................................ 11 Results................................................................................................................... 13 Discussion............................................................................................................. 16 Examining Gross Motor Development of Preterm Infants............................................... 17 Introduction and Methods..................................................................................... 17 Subjects and Procedure......................................................................................... 17 Results................................................................................................................... 18 Discussion............................................................................................................. 18 The Supine Sleep Position and Early Motor Milestone Acquisition ................................ 20 Research Question ................................................................................................ 20 Subjects................................................................................................................. 20 Methods ................................................................................................................ 21 Results................................................................................................................... 21 Discussion............................................................................................................. 22 Examining Developmental Delays of Infants with Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly ... 23 Research Question ................................................................................................ 23 Subjects................................................................................................................