Eva Duggan 2024 Award Winner - Miriam Crennan

Project on promoting positive oral hygiene practices in children with sensory processing difficulties

We are happy to congratulate Miriam Crennan on winning the 2024 Eva Duggan Award. She will be presented with the award during the AOTI Conference Dinner on 26th September.

The award consists of a €1,000 bursary to develop initiatives to enhance paediatric services. It recognises and rewards practice-based projects in paediatric Occupational Therapy. It celebrates projects that showcase the use of meaningful occupation, involve clients and encourage role-emerging practice, all of which reflect the values Eva espoused.

The winning project 2024 is led by Miriam Crennan, Senior Occupational Therapist in CDNT in Kilkenny, for her project on promoting positive oral hygiene practices in children with sensory processing difficulties. Children with sensory processing difficulties are at high risk of poor oral hygiene, a fundamental self-care occupation, leading to poor dental care and health in the future. This group-based project will focus on coaching parents and caregivers to introduce supportive sensory strategies and tools in efforts to increase acceptance of oral hygiene, while also encouraging children’s attainment of independent oral hygiene skills.

The Eva Duggan Award Committee would like to thank all applicants for their excellent projects. These projects reflect the values of the Eva Duggan Award and follows the foundations that leaders like Eva Duggan have laid, to ensure innovative and life changing paediatric practice by Occupational Therapists.

The Eva Duggan Award is made possible by a kind donation by Eva’s family to AOTI.