Dawson, Shay

Example Presentations

• Effect of a Manualized Equine Assisted Therapy Intervention for Adults and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Serbia and the US. Milan Petrovic School, Novi Sad, Serbia (June, 2019).
• Disability and Medicine Seminar Series., College of Medicine, Central Michigan University. Deliver five separate one-hour presentations each spring to over 370 registered undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty from a variety of program across campus (2022-2024)
• What Cancer Cannot Do, Keynote Address, Michigan Therapeutic Recreation Association State Conference (March 15^th, 2024)
• Recreational Therapy Presentation, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation. (May 14th, 2018) 

Research

Textbook

• Austin, D., & Dawson, S. (2023). Processes and Techniques in Therapeutic Recreation: Evidence Based Recreational Therapy Practice. Sagamore Publishing, IL.
  

Book Chapters

• Dawson, S., Casio, A., & Ragina, N. (in press). Collaborating with People that Have Disabilities in Healthcare Education. In Intellectual Disabilities and Autism: Ethics and Practice. Springer.
  

• Dawson, S. (in press). Recreational Therapy. In Exploring Health Sciences. Eds. Wilson, G. Kona Publishers, NC.
  

• Dawson, S. & Piatt, J. (2020). Pediatric Practice. In Recreational Therapy: An Introduction. Eds, Austin, D., Crawford, M., McCormick, B., VanPuybroeck, M.. 5^th Ed. Sagamore Publishing, IL.
  

• Dawson, S. (2017) International Classification of Disability, Health, and Function. In Perspectives of Recreational Therapy. Eds. Austin, D. & McCormick, B. Sagamore Publishing, IL.
  

• Piatt, J. & Dawson, S. (2015). Pediatric Practice. In Recreational Therapy: An Introduction. Eds, Austin, D., Crawford, M., McCormick, B., VanPuybroeck, M.. Sagamore Publishing, IL.
  

• Gilbert, K., Gilbert, R., Dawson, S., Beckmeyer, J., & McCormick, B. (2015). The Family Battle Buddies Program. In This Land Is Your Land: Toward a Better Understanding of Nature's Resiliency-Building and Restorative Power for Armed Forces Personnel, Veterans, and their Families. Sagamore Publishing
  

Peer Reviewed Research

• Bracken, R. C., Richman, K. A., Garden, R., Fischbein, R., Bhambra, R., Ragina, N., Dawson, S., & Cascio, A. (2023). Developing Disability-Focused Pre-Health and Health Professions Curricula. Journal of Medical Humanities, 44(4), 553-576.
  

• Dawson, S., Stanojevic, C., McCormick, B., Tamas, D., Eminovic, F., Lomax, L., Wheeler, L., (2023). Disability in Southeast Europe: Qualitative Analysis of a Faculty Led Study Abroad Program. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 57(3), 271-293.
  

• Cushway, K., & Dawson, S. (2023). Egocentric Social Network Analysis of Individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries Attending a Medical Specialty Camp. American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 22(1), 21-30.
  

• Dawson, S., Scott., E., Elder, L., Omodior, E., & Harrison, A.H., (2023). Kids B.E.A.R. Pain: A Pediatric Psychosocial Chronic Pain Protocol. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 57(2). 
  

• Dawson, S., & Mowatt, R. (2022). Analytic Auto Ethnography on Cancer: Implications for Developing Leisure Based Oncology Support Programs. International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure, 5(2), 269-281.
  

• Dawson, S, McCormick, B., Tamas, D., Stanojevic, C., McIntire, J., Bowen, A., Eldridge, L., McKissock, B. (2022). Equine Assisted Therapy with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Serbia and the US: A Pilot Study Intervention. Therapeutic Recreation Journal 56(1)
  

• Stanojevic, C., McIntire, J., Bowen, A., Eldridge, L., Dawson, S., McCormick, B., Tamas, D., McKissock, B. (2022). Establishing an Evidence-Based Program through an International Collaboration in Recreational Therapy. Therapeutic Recreation Journal 56(1)
• McKissock, B., Bowen, A., Dawson, S., Eldridge, L., McIntire, J., Stanojevic, C., McCormick, B., Tamas, D., (2022). Manualized equine-assisted therapy protocol for clients with autism spectrum disorder. Therapeutic Recreation Journal. 56(1). 
  

• Dawson, S., McCormick, Knapp, D., Piatt, J., & Dickinson, S. (2021). Effect of a Mentoring Program for Adolescents with Physical Disabilities Attending a Therapeutic Camp. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. 14(2), 275-284
  

• Lee, K. H., Heo, J., Roop, J., & Shay, D. (2019). Proximity to Parks and Natural Areas as an Environmental Determinant to Spatial Disparities in Obesity Prevalence, Applied Geography. 112.
  

• Knapp, D., Dawson, S., Piatt, J., Devine, M. A., & Knackmuhs, E. (2018). The comfort derived from social comparisons at a camp for youth with neuromuscular disease. American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 16 (4), 7-12.
  

• Dawson, S., McCormick, B., Li, Jing (2018). Egocentric Social Network Analysis of a Medical Camp for Youth with Physical Disabilities. Therapeutic Recreation Journal. 52(2).
  

• Dawson, S. (2017). Social Inoculation and the Extinguishing Effects of Pediatric Medical Camps: Proposing a Framework for the Other 51 Weeks a Year. Journal of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in Public Health, 1 (1).
  

• Dawson, S., Gilbert, K., Gilbert, R., Beckmeyer, J., & McCormick, B. (2016). Family Battle Buddies Program: A Therapeutic Program for Reinte­grating National Guard Families. American Journal of Recreation Therapy, 15, (2).
  

• Devine, M.A., Piatt, J., Dawson, S. (2015). The role of a disability-specific camp in promoting social acceptance and quality of life for youth with hearing impairments. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 49, (4)
  

• Knapp, D., Devine, M.A., Dawson, S., & Piatt, S. (2015) Examining Perceptions of Social Acceptance and Quality of Life of Pediatric Campers with Physical Disabilities, Children's Health Care, 44:1, 1-16.
  

• Dawson, S., Knapp, D., & Farmer, J. (2012). “These are my war buddies”: Exploring the Therapeutic Benefits of Social Comparison at a Pediatric Oncology Camp”. Therapeutic Recreation Journal. 46 (4), 313-325.
  

• Dawson, S. & Liddicoat, K. (2009) “Camp Gives Me Hope”: Exploring the Therapeutic Use of Community for Adults with Cerebral Palsy” Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 43(4), 9-24.
  

• Devine, M.A., & Dawson, S.D., (2010) The Effect of a Residential Camp Experience on Self Esteem and Social Acceptance of Youth with Craniofacial Differences. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 44 (2), 105-120.

• PhD - Indiana University (School of Public Health)
• Major Focus Area: Leisure Behavior
• Minor Focus Area: Social Science Approaches to Health and Healing Systems
• M.A. – Kent State University
• Exercise, Leisure, and Sport
• Concentration in Therapeutic Recreation
• B.S. – Kent State University
• Major: Leisure Studies
• Concentration in Therapeutic Recreation  
• Minor: Psychology 

• Creation and testing of evidence-based therapeutic interventions  

• Disability and medicine education

• Social psychology of disability

• Psychosocial support programs for youth with disabilities and their families

• American Therapeutic Recreation Association

• Michigan Therapeutic Recreation Association

• National Council of Therapeutic Recreation Certification

• Nationally Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS®)