Monica Perlmutter, M.A., OTR/L
Monica Perlmutter is an Instructor in the Program of Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Monica Perlmutter received her Bachelor’s degree in OT from the University of MO-Columbia and her Masters in Education from Washington University. Clinically, she has worked with adult neurology patients in the areas of acute care, long term rehab and out-patient care. In addition, she has prior experience in home health and general medicine. Currently, she is an instructor and the lead OT for the program’s Community and In Home Low Vision Services. Academic responsibilities include teaching in a wide variety of practice courses. Research interests currently focus on the measurement of occupational performance of older adults with vision loss and Parkinson’s Disease.
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH / CLINICAL WORK


Monica's research interests relate primarily to measurement of the occupational performance of older adults. Current efforts relate to the development and testing of an occupational performance measurement model for older adults with low vision. Monica collaborates with Dr. Carolyn Baum (Director of WUOT) and the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences. They have collected pilot data from older adults who live in the community, nursing homes and assisted living centers and are ready to move on to the next phase of the study, which will focus on individuals with mild, moderate and end stage glaucoma.

This model has also been applied to older adults with Parkinson’s Disease to determine the occupational performance of individuals who have had deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. The team, in collaboration with the Department of Neurology Movement Disorders Clinic is very interested in how the effects of this procedure impacts patients and caregivers.

She has also been involved in the development of the Functional Impairment Profile (FIP). This is a battery of existing reliable and valid assessments that allow the OT or other health professional to identify concurrent impairments such as visual deficits, hearing loss, changes in mental status, language impairments, low literacy and depression. It is designed to be given prior to occupational therapy assessments to identify impairments which may confound functional assessment results and to help make decisions regarding occupational therapy interventions, medical needs, placement, service provision and independent living status.

Other research efforts include the development of the Basic Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADL) and outcome studies with persons with stroke.

Monica’s clinical work is directed toward older adults with low vision. She is the lead OT for the In-home Services program. Primary referral sources include the Washington University Low Vision Clinic, the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences and various clinical programs in the Washington University community. A person-environment-occupation framework, along with a client-centered, collaborative approach is used to guide assessment and intervention. Specific strategies include teaching individuals to use remaining vision efficiently, adaptive strategies to increase independence in self care, home management, work, leisure and community mobility, and optical devices during daily activities. Clients are also provided with recommendations to optimize lighting and improve the safety and accessibility of their home.

SOME RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Baum, MC, Perlmutter, M & Edwards, D (Summer, 2000). Measuring function in Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Quarterly, 44-61.

Baum, MC, Perlmutter, M & Dunn, W. (2001). Identifying impairments that can limit occupational performance and threaten the validity of assessments. In M. Law, C. Baum & W. Dunn (Eds.), Measuring occupational performance: A guide to best practice. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK.

Edwards, D, Prehn, K, Hahn, M, Perlmutter, M & Baum, C. (submitted). Sensitivity and specificity of screening measures for unilateral visual neglect after stroke. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.

Letts, L, Baum, C, Perlmutter, M. (2003). Person-Environment-Occupation assessment with older adults. OT Practice, Vol. 8, Issue 10, 27-34.

Perlmutter, M (2002). Defining occupational therapy intervention. In MC Baum, M Law, S Baptiste (Eds.), Occupation based practice: Fostering performance and participation. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK.

MC, Perlmutter, M & Dunn, W. (2005). Establishing the integrity of measurement data: Identifying impairments that can limit occupational performance and threaten validity of assessments. In M. Law, C. Baum & W. Dunn (Eds.), Measuring occupational performance: Supporting best practice in occupational therapy. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK.
CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail: perlmutterm@.wustl.edu
Phone: (314) 286-1603 office
Fax: (314) 286-1601
Mailing address:
Program in Occupational Therapy
4444 Forest Park Ave.
Campus Box 8505
St. Louis, MO 63108