ReSeaRch centRe foR aPPlied PSychology (RecaP) - Health ...

8
ANIMAL
FUN
Chief Researchers: Professor Jan Piek, Associate
Professor Clare Roberts, Professor
Leon Straker (Physiotherapy),
Professor Tanya Packer
(Occupational Therapy),
Ms Lynn Jensen (Physiotherapy),
Ms Alma Dender (Occupational
Therapy), Dr Rosanna Rooney, and
Dr Nick Barrett.
Funded by: Mental Health Commission WA
Project Term: 2009 to 2011
Total funding: $357,250
The incidence of motor problems in WA schools is estimated
at around 10% (Hoare & Larkin, 1991). Few intervention
programs are available for pre-primary children who have
poor motor ability, and those that are available tend to
focus on improving motor skills without consideration of
the important social and emotional implications of poor
motor ability. The Animal Fun Program was developed by a
team of researchers at Curtin University from the School of
Psychology and Speech Pathology (Piek, Roberts, Rooney),
School of Physiotherapy (Straker, Jensen) and School of
Occupational Therapy and Social Work (Dender, Packer) with
the aim of promoting social skill development and social
interaction using both fine and gross motor skills that have
been developed with the theme of animals and animal-like
movements.
Evaluation of the Animal fun program involved 3 schools
in a pilot study and then 12 schools in a larger study. Both
studies have been funded by Healthway. The pilot study
showed improvements in social skill development as a
result of the program. Although the evaluation process for
the large study is not complete, the initial findings have
demonstrated an improvement in motor coordination for
the children in the intervention schools, but not for children
in the control schools. Also, the feedback from teachers and
therapists, both involved in the studies and those who have
attended presentations on the Animal Fun program in WA
and NSW have emphasised the need for such a program as
a resource that should be available in schools. The feedback
we received from kindergarten and pre-primary teachers
is that the Animal Fun program is that both children and
teachers thoroughly enjoy the program.
The Mental Health Commission has provided funding to
develop the program (which at present is a brief written
document) into a valuable teacher resource that will include
flash cards, and teacher, child and parent manuals. In
addition, training will be available as an additional resource.
BUILDING MENTAL WEALTH: IMPROVING
MENTAL HEALTH FOR BETTER HEALTH
OUTCOMES AMONG INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
Chief Researchers: Professor Jan Piek, Professor
David Vicary, Professor Dianne
Wynaden (Nursing & Midwifery),
Associate Professor Dawn
Bessarab (Aboriginal Health
and Educational Research Unit),
Professor Patricia Davidson (UTS),
Professor Jill Downie (Faculty of
Health Sciences), Professor Colleen
Hayward (ECU), Professor Sandra
Thompson (CUCRH).
Funded by: National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC)
Project Term: 2009 to 2014
Total funding: $2,376,600
The Building Mental Wealth (BMW) project developed as a
result of a need for further research specifically focusing on
mental health issues in the Australian Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander population. We know that the Indigenous
population has much higher rates of mental health
problems, in particular, a higher suicide rate in proportion
to the non-Indigenous population. However, despite this
only a small proportion of the Indigenous population
access available health services. Why is this? This NHMRC
capacity building grant is aimed at increasing the number
of researchers, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander researchers, investigating this issue of appropriate
mental health services for our Indigenous population.