Development and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of the Wilder-Addison Narcolepsy Function Scale (WANFS)
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) is a holistic, nonpharmacological form of medical practice that helps people develop, recover, or maintain skills for daily living, enabling them to participate in meaningful activities (occupations) despite physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges from injury, illness, or disability, by adapting tasks, modifying environments, and teaching new skills for greater independence and quality of life. OT considers the whole person when developing goals and interventions in the treatment process.
What is Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by instability of the sleep-wake cycle and pervasive disruption across daily life. Often misrepresented as a “sleep disorder,” people with Narcolepsy experience occupational disruption beyond excessive daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy Type 1 includes excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis, while Type 2 lacks cataplexy and presents with milder symptoms. Symptoms and associated comorbidities contribute to occupational imbalance, reduced functional performance, and diminished quality of life.
My Purpose
In 2019, my sister was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. Many doctors and medications later, she was able to stay awake through most of the day. However, staying awake did not mean she was living. I watched Narcolepsy steal the light from my bubbly, brilliant, funny best friend as she fought to regain motivation, energy, and pieces of her old self. When I entered the occupational therapy doctoral program, I soaked in everything I learned so that I could call my sister daily with a new idea for how to get her life back and do what she loved. My capstone project, a real-world project where students address a specific, relevant problem or challenge within the field, was no different.
