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Helen Lindner

Position: Senior Lecturer School/office: School of Health Sciences

Email: helen.lindner@oru.se

Phone: +46 19 303734

Room: P2152

Research subject

Occupational Therapy

About Helen Lindner

I am a senior lecturer in occupational therapy at Örebro University in Sweden. I have a BSc degree in Pharmacology at University College, London, UK, a MSc degree in Medical Informatics at University of London, UK and a BSc degree in Occupational Therapy at Örebro University, Sweden. In 2013 I received a PhD degree in Medical Sciences at Örebro University. My current work tasks include teaching occupation-based cognitive rehabilitation and working with patients of mild to severe cognitive impairments.

Research

My two main research interests are (i) to investigate cognitive functions in individuals with multiple disabilities (fig.1), and (ii) to explore the process in learning a multi-articulating prosthetic hand (fig.2). I use eye-tracking technology and motion analysis to quantify and understand attention, visuospatial skill, cognitive load and body movements in different patient groups and activities. My research goal is to integrate research results timely into current rehabilitation practice.

In the following webinar from Tobii Pro in 2021, I presented how I have used eye tracking glasses to trace cognitive processes during learning of multi-articulating prosthetic hands.

https://www.tobii.com/resource-center/webinars/using-eye-gaze-to-trace-cognitive-processes

In the following presentation for the 16th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition in 2021, my music therapy colleague and I presented the use of eye-tracking technology to investigate eye contact and attention during music therapy in a patient of vegetative state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaHck7YH2Nc

In the following presentation for the World Congress of Occupational Therapists in Paris 2022, I presented how I have used gaze-controlled video games as cognitive training for individuals with severe cognitive impairments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2c9TfcArUo

In the following presentation of the national congress of the Lativa Association of Occupational Therapists in 2023 (from 1hour and 6 mins), I presented how to use eye tracking in clinical practice and research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v58kIZ8JC3E&list=PLuZn-9pHkfFSJ2hfvoAFyMdk-zp_kp-DN&index=1

Teaching

I coordinate a BSc course in occupational therapy for individuals with cognitive impairments, psychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders. I teach basic pharmacology to occupational therapy students and how medications affect occupational therapy interventions.

Clinical practice

I meet patients with multiple disabilities and sensory difficulties at the Adult Habilitation Centre, Region Örebro County. At our department (Upplevelsen), (1) I provide training in using eye tracking to perform different cognitive tasks, (2) my colleagues and I use multisensory environments as part of our treatments for patients with sensory processing difficulties, such as children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

International Collaborations

I have three ongoing research collaborations; one project is a collaboration with Professor Jumpei Obe at the Japan's Kobe Gakuin University to investigate cognitive load in using multifunction prosthetic hands.

The second project is a collaboration with Dr. Lotfi Merabet at Harvard Medical School to investigate visuohaptic skills in early brain-based visual impairment https://merabetlab.meei.harvard.edu/lab-members/

The third project is a collaboration with Dr. Petre Breazu at University of Cambridge using Multimodal Conversation Analysis to analyse patient-therapist interaction during training sessions of assistive technologies.