Dr. Amanda Hassen, a 2015 graduate of Belmont University School of Occupational Therapy, was featured in a recent article in Today in OT for her work in teaching swimming skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).    The effort was part of Hassen’s experiential component as a third-year doctoral student in occupational therapy at Belmont that integrated curricular themes of clinical excellence, scholarship, service and leadership.

Hassen completed the experiential component at Dolphin Aquatics, a nonprofit organization in Nashville that has been teaching swimming to children and adults with special needs at no cost to the participants for the past 12 years.  Using her background as a swim coach and an OT, Hassen designed ’Phins, a sensory-based swim program tailored for children with ASD.  The article provides additional detail about her experience.

After graduating in May, Dr. Hassen moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where she was offered a job in a private OT practice.  She has begun the process to develop a similar program to ‘Phins in her new location.   In Nashville, the program she created will continue.  View the entire article by clicking here.