Rate My Professor Ann Kennedy-Behr

Ann Kennedy-Behr holds a PhD, Master of Occupational Therapy (MOccThy), and Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy (BAppSc(OT)) from the University of Queensland, completing her doctorate from 2007 to 2013. She has served as Lecturer in the Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and as Program Lead and Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Behavioural Sciences there from 2014 to 2019. From December 2019 to December 2021, she was Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia. In 2017, she received an award for innovative teaching at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Kennedy-Behr has taught occupational therapy programs in Australia, Germany, and Austria.

Her research focuses on occupation-centred practice with children, play skills of preschoolers with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD), picky eating in children, collaborative goal setting in therapy, and the relationship between playfulness and wellbeing across the lifespan. She co-edited the second edition of Occupation-Centred Practice with Children: A Practical Guide for Occupational Therapists (2017, with Sylvia Rodger; 152 citations) and co-authored Occupational Performance Coaching: A Manual for Practitioners and Researchers (2020, with Fiona Graham and Jenny Ziviani; 83 citations). Notable publications include 'Picky Eating in Children: A Scoping Review...' (2021; 94 citations), 'A Comparison of the Play Skills of Preschool Children With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder' (2013; 84 citations), and 'Collaborative Goal Setting with and for Children as Part of Therapeutic Intervention' (2017; 101 citations). With over 430 citations, her work supports caregivers, early intervention, and accessible healthcare for rural and remote communities, influencing pediatric occupational therapy internationally.