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| Photo of puppeteers March 6th, 2019 |
The 'Cassie and Friends at School' puppet show highlights
the important role of an occupational therapist for children with juvenile
idiopathic arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Occupational therapy
fieldwork student Dina Brown attended the puppet show and interviewed the
puppeteers as well as Jennifer Wilson, the executive director of Cassie and
Friends.
What is the intended purpose of the puppet show?
Cassie and Friends at School is a puppet show for kids
about ability, difference and friendship. The program’s goal is to help raise
awareness and understanding about what it’s like to live with juvenile
arthritis and to illustrate some of the challenges a classmate with juvenile
arthritis might be facing such as pain, isolation, depression and mobility
challenges. Of note, the puppet show features the role of an occupational
therapist that helps Cassie to manage her juvenile idiopathic arthritis and
enables her to participate in school.
What has the impact of the puppet show been?
One parent wrote to us: "The show brought such
impact and awareness to the school, a couple days after the show I was brought
into the school for a meeting with the principal and other teachers and they
all wanted to help out my daughter and any other child as much as they could
now that they know more about juvenile idiopathic arthritis."
The puppet show also creates awareness that kids get
arthritis, not just older people, and that it can be a very challenging
condition for a child. The puppet show highlights shared differences,
friendship, asking before helping, how to talk about differences, inclusiveness
and the little ways we can all help make the school day easier for kids with
arthritis. These themes are universal and can relate to issues other than
arthritis. The general reaction from children is they ask very empathetic
questions, which shows they are beginning to understand more about it.
What inspired the choice to have an occupational
therapist (OT) in the play Cassie and Friends at School?
Physical therapy and occupational therapy play an
important role in helping a child to manage their arthritis. Previously our
script had a scene with a teachers aid and there was just mention of being off
to an “OT” appointment. The kids were so curious about what that meant and the
exercises Cassie had to do that we decided to include an OT visit to give them
a better sense of what kids go through living with arthritis and things that
can help.
What is generally the response from adults and children
to the OT in the play?
Kids and adults are surprised that occupational
therapists play a role in the care of kids with arthritis. And they are excited
at the idea of school and play being a kids’ “work” and the ways OTs can help
them stay active and involved in everything their friends do.
What are the benefits of kids with JIA and other
rheumatic diseases being able to access occupational therapy services?
Kids love to run, play, get involved in sports, draw,
build and so much more. OT can help kids be kids, even in the face of pain and
chronic disease, by giving them tools and aid to help them to do all the things
their friends do with greater ease. We have seen what an incredible resource
and support OTs can be to children who need help developing and/or regaining
the skills they need to participate in school, social activities, sport and
life!
Aside from the puppet show, what kinds of initiatives are
Cassie and Friends currently working on?
Cassie and Friends is now active in 8 hospital centres
across Canada and hope to reach 10,000 or more kids and families across Canada
in the next few years to provide more hope through research, support and
connection!
How to book Cassie and Friends puppet show:
Cassie and Friends is on a mission to raise awareness
about Juvenile Arthritis (JA) in every community where a kid is affected – in
other words, all of them! Cassie and Friends at School show has now reached
over 20,000 elementary school children and educators in the Lower Mainland and
across British Columbia. They regularly fundraise and work with sponsors to
bring the show to other communities as much as possible. The show is totally
free to schools and aimed at grades K to 5.
Cassie and Friends’ dream is to create an animated
version of the show so that any child in any community can benefit from
increased understanding at school and we can keep spreading awareness that kids
get arthritis too.
For more information visit http://cassieandfriends.ca.
If you would like information about a performance at your
school or an information package to share with the school principal, please
contact: kob.cassieandfriends@gmail.com
Post by Dina Brown, occupational therapy fieldwork
student on placement with CAOT-BC.
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