Elizabeth Larson

OT student doing research with child
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Occupational Therapy
School of Education
UW-Madison
2120 Medical Sciences Center
1300 University Avenue
MadisonWI  53706-1691

Tel: 608/262-2936
Fax: 608/262-1639

Email: otoffice@education.wisc.edu
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Bio for Professor Elizabeth Ann Larson

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Associate Professor

Kinesiology
Occupational Therapy (OT)
School of Education (SoE)

2180 Medical Sciences Ctr  binoculars icon
1300 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706-1509
Office: 608/262-520

blarson@education.wisc.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Personal Biography

Dr. Larson is an occupational therapist and occupational scientist with thirty years of clinical and research experience working with children with disabilities and their families. Her research uses mixed methods approaches to examine the impact of managing the child’s disability on the family and especially the caregiver. She employs multi-faceted approaches to gain a deeper understanding of the caregiver’s perspectives and daily lived experience including the use of participant-grounded methods such as interviews, focus groups, and participant observation within the family homes, in concert with well-validated well-being measures, and biomarkers of health. The overarching goal of her work is to investigate how the caregiver’s organization and orchestration of daily activities tailored to the child’s developmental needs promotes or impedes family functioning, and in turn influences the caregiver’s health and well-being.



 

 

Research Interests

Caregiving for children with disabilities Caregiver's well-being Self-care skills of children with autism Time-use and temporality

The following is a representative sample of contracts, grants and sponsored research.

6/30/2013 - Amount: $24,200.00, "Physiological Assessment Of Maternal Stress When Caregiving For A Child With High Functioning Autism," Awarded By: Virginia Horne Henry Fund, Sponsor Type: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Elizabeth Larson.

2011-2013 - Amount: $24,200.00, "Physiological Assessment Of Maternal Stress When Caregiving For A Child With High Functioning Autism," Awarded By: NIH, Grant Institution: NICHD, Sponsor Type: Federal, Elizabeth Larson, Principal.

2007-2008 - Amount: $20,360.00, "Biomarkers And Activity Patterns Of Resilient And Vulnerable Caregivers Of Children With Disabilities," Awarded By: Virginia Horne Henry, Sponsor Type: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Elizabeth Larson.

Amount: $3,553,763.00, "“impact Of Sensory Sensitivity On Daily Life Skills In High Functioning Autism," Awarded By: National Institutes of Health, Grant Institution: NICHD, Sponsor Type: Federal, Elizabeth Larson, Principal.

The following is a representative sample of publications.

Larson, E., & von Eye, A. (2010). Beyond flow: Temporality and participation in everyday activities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 152-63.
Online Publication/Abstract

Larson, E. (2010). Ever vigilant: Maternal support of participation in daily life for children with disabilities. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, pp. 16-27.
Online Publication/Abstract

Larson, E. (2010). Psychological Well-Being and Meaning-Making When Caregiving for Children With Disabilities: Growth Through Difficult Times or Sinking Inward. OTJR-OCCUPATION PARTICIPATION AND HEALTH, 30(2), 78-86.
Online Publication/Abstract

Larson, E. (2010). What constitutes well-being in challenging life circumstances: Identifying relevant well-being indicators for caregivers of children with disabilities? Occupational Therapy International, 17, 29-39.
Online Publication/Abstract

Larson, E. Ethics in Occupational Therapy Research. In J. Scott & M. Reitz (Eds.), Applications for the Occupational Therapy Ethics Standards: Case Studies, Rockville, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.

The following is a representative sample of presentations.

Larson, E. (2011, June 30). Grounding theory: Using mixed methods to identify indicators of “well-being” in caregivers of children with disability, 7th Mixed Methods International Conference, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

Larson, E. (2010). Mixing methods to “ground” theory: The case of caregivers and well-being., Redefining Boundaries and Bridges in Occupation, Joint conference of the Canadian Society of Occupational Scientists and the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA, London, Ontario, Canada.

The following is a representative sample of awards.

Vilas Life Cycle Professorship Award
Organization: Women in Science and Engineering Institute
Purpose: Scholarship/Research
Scope: UW Madison
Description: Study examined whether a genetic variation of the serotonin gene transporter allele (5-HTTLPR) associated with mental health disorders was present in vulnerable caregivers (low self-rated well-being) in contrast to the resilient group (high self-rated well-being); and whether a biomarker indicative of distress-related immune dysregulation (Interleukin-6) was elevated in the vulnerable caregivers compared to the resilient group.
Date(s): June 1, 2007 - June 1, 2009

DOIT Podcast Awards
Organization: DOIT
Purpose: Teaching
Scope: UW Madison
Description: Received two awards for developing a audio and video podcasts teaching beginning Spanish language skills for pediatric occupational therapy practice.
Date(s): 2005 - 2006

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