Following is an excerpt from the American Occupational Therapy Association website. The article can be viewed in its entirety at http://www.aota.org/News/Announcements/MH-Awareness.aspx
OT's Role in Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
by Stephanie Yamkovenko
The room darkens as clouds from an advancing thunderstorm block the sunlight. Mia senses that thunder and lightning will soon follow. Frightened, she runs across the room, leaps onto the couch, and curls into the lap of her owner. Mia, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is the pet of Jan Rowe, DrOT, OTR/L, associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Rowe will share Mia’s storm fears and anxieties—and what coping strategies she demonstrates—with a classroom of children as a part of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7. Read More