Does it ever seem like your school-age child brings home a new infection every few weeks? Kids get a lot of wonderful things in school—math and reading skills, development of social skills to make friends and cooperate with others, learning how to be disciplined and independent—to name just a few. But the unfortunate reality is that school can be a hotspot for bacteria and viruses and a source for lots of common kid illnesses, especially for younger school-age kids whose immune systems are still maturing.

About 1 in 6 (17%) children in the United States has obesity. Certain groups of children are more affected than others. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides a chance for all of us to learn more about this serious health condition. While there is no simple solution, there are many ways communities can support children with their journey to good health.

School nurses are heroes to the more than 50 million children in our nation’s schools, and it is highly likely that more people interact with a school nurse than any other nursing specialist.

In depth resources for School Health Issues and School Wellness.

Words have power. They can shape how kids with learning and attention issues feel about themselves. Here are nine things not to say, plus some suggested alternatives.

1 - “Normal.”
Avoid comparing your child’s challenges to what’s “normal.” If you use this word, you may imply your child is abnormal—even if you don’t mean to. Talking about what’s usually “expected” could be a more useful approach.

Nursing stress and burnout is more common than you think. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why a lot of nurses aren’t able to deliver quality care to their patients. It’s also a reason why a huge number of nurses quit or change profession.

Because of that, it’s important that you know the warning signs. The earlier you can detect it, the quicker you’ll be able to address and overcome nursing stress.

November is National Diabetes Month. Here’s to managing your diabetes for a longer, healthier life.

There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but a healthy lifestyle can really reduce its impact on your life. What you do every day makes the difference: eating a healthy diet, being physically active, taking medicines if prescribed, and keeping health care appointments to stay on track.

Join AOTA and occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and students across the country as we help others Live Life To Its Fullest by avoiding the pain and injury that can come from heavy backpacks and bags.

As a child, I was an easy mark for playground torments: smart, insufferably rule-abiding, decidedly unpretty. The tormenter I remember most distinctly was not my first bully, nor my last, but his attacks would turn the others into footnotes.

He was in my class for years; his mom was my softball coach, driving me to and from practice when my single mother could not.

Given the growing national shortage of epinephrine auto-injectors it behooves school nurses to start making plans regarding how their districts will address and respond not only now, but if the shortage continues into the next school year.

School tragedies such and gun violence affect us all. Here are some helpful resources to help in dealing with the trauma.

Every day, hundreds of children are taken to emergency rooms with burn injuries.
Learn how you can prevent injuries from fires, scalds, electrical sources and other risks in the home.

• Electrical safety
• Fire safety
• Home safety
• Scald safety

Wisconsin schools, bracing for the next mass shooting, are turning to gunshot-detecting sensors that police across the country rely on, hoping the technology will lead to faster response times when there's an active shooter.