OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

OUR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS WORK TO HELP CHILDREN DO THE THINGS THEY NEED AND WANT TO DO THROUGH THE THERAPEUTIC USE OF DAILY ACTIVITIES (OCCUPATIONS).

Children’s Therapy Place provides pediatric occupational therapy services to children so they can live life to its fullest by helping promote health, and prevent or live better with injury, illness, or disability.

Special Programs

Handwriting Without Tears

Handwriting Without Tears– Our therapists are trained in the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum. Handwriting Without Tears intervention addresses developmental and appropriate foundational skills for handwriting. The curriculum is research-based and uses an engaging multisensory approach for children to learn and improve writing skills. Parents are also provided tips and resources to carryover learning in the home.

Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S.) Approach to Feeding

Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S.) Approach to Feeding– Children’s Therapy Place now offers feeding therapy using Dr. Kay Toomey’s Ph.D. Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding, a systematic desensitization program respected and used worldwide to treat feeding issues. It can also be used to treat oral motor delays. We offer individual and group feeding sessions.

Some of the red flags that may indicate a child is in need of feeding therapy include:

- - Ongoing poor weight gain
  - Weight loss
  - Ongoing choking/gagging
  - Coughing during meals
  - Inability to transition to baby food purees or solids
  - Family is fighting about food with child
  - Parent repeatedly reports the child as difficult for everyone to feed

Therapeutic Listening®

Therapeutic Listening®-Is a specific sound based intervention focusing on developmental and sensory processing challenges. It uses organized sound patterns and music to impact the nervous system to increase attention, balance, body awareness and control, communication, social engagement, and organization of sensory input. This is an evidence-based protocol that helps children become more organized, improve behavior regulation, and to have more frequent and positive therapeutic outcomes.

Astronaut Training

Astronaut Training– A specially designed program which addresses 3 different and very important sensory systems: the vestibular, visual, and auditory systems. Functional improvements in the child are seen with spatial awareness, general movement coordination, sensory regulation, attention, visual tracking, and locating and perceiving sound in their environment.

The program uses a rotary board to test a child’s responsiveness to rotary movements. When a child is positioned in sitting and lying, the head is positioned to activate the inner ear hair cells while the eyes are closed to create a post rotary nystagmus (flickering of the eyes). The rotary board is rotated in counterclockwise and clockwise directions for up to 10 seconds with directional music input provided. Post rotary, the nystagmus of the eyes is assessed to determine the child’s response to the input. Most children’s response should last up to approximately 7 seconds. When it is determined that a child has an atypical response, various treatment protocols are implemented to assist the child in integrating their vestibular, visual, and auditory processing.

Zones Program for Self Regulation

Zones Program for Self Regulation– A cognitive-behavioral approach to help individuals learn self-regulation skills. The Zones framework is designed to address underlying emotional and sensory regulation deficits and help children move toward independent regulation. Our therapists utilize the program and its numerous visuals to help children determine their alertness level, behaviors, and how they may be affecting themselves and those around them. Children are able to take tools into their daily lives and effectively manage behavior and feelings.

Specialty Areas

Fine Motor Development

Sensory Processing

Motor Coordination

Handwriting

School Function & Participation

Visual Perceptual Skill Development

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD)

Down Syndrome

Self-Regulation

Self-Care Skills

Social Skills

Feeding

Sensory Diets

MEET OUR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS

Elisa B. OTR/L
Location: Schools

Megan K., OTR/L
Location: Boise
Originally from Declo, Idaho, Megan received her education from Idaho State University. In her free time, she enjoys games, walks, hiking, reading, audiobooks, and learning new activities and information about the world around her!

Tara P., COTA/L
Location: Twin Falls
Tara has been a COTA for 23 years! She graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1992, College of Southern Idaho 1994, and American Institute of Health Technology with an AAS in Occupational Therapy 1997. Tara has worked in the Boise, Meridian, Nampa area for 12 years and then moved back home to Twin Falls for the last 11 years. Her favorite areas of therapy are birth to 5-year-olds, she loves to do aquatic therapy and especially horse therapy (aka Hippotherapy). In her spare time since her kids are older, Tara has found a love for kayaking and going to her family’s cabin to chill and read books.

Erica W., MS, OTR/L
Location: Meridian
Erica grew up in San Diego, CA and moved to the Bay Area of Northern California to attend college. She graduated from San Jose State University with her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2014, and Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2015. Shortly after, she moved to Idaho with her husband to enjoy the slower pace of life! As an OT, she has worked in subacute rehab, home health, acute rehab, and most recently, pediatrics. She loves helping children achieve their goals through play! Erica feels fortunate she is able to work part-time and spend so much time raising her two young daughters. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, traveling, and enjoying activities her kids love!

Hanna A. OTR/L
Location: Boise <
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Hanna received her education from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. In her free time, she loves spending time outside and trying new things! Most weekends you’ll find her hiking, playing amateur rec sports, and spending time with her cat. She is hoping to focus more on rock climbing and skiing!

Lauren B., OTR/L
Location: Twin Falls
Lauren received her Bachelors of Science in Health Science in 2015 and her Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2018 from Idaho State University. She is registered with the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy and has completed fieldwork in a variety of settings such as pediatrics, inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, and outpatient neurorehabilitation. She has completed the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing- Advanced Intensive Mentorship Level I and additional sensory integration training through the University of Southern California.

She spent the initial part of her career working in outpatient pediatrics and adult neurorehabilitation in Washington state before moving back to Idaho. At Children’s Therapy Place she currently treats from birth to 18, with a primary focus on helping children and families be as independent as possible with daily activities. She enjoys working with pediatric clients on self-care skills, fine motor skills, and sensory needs.

In her free time, she enjoys gardening/house plants, baking, crafting, reading, and hiking with friends, her husband, and her dog.

Sarah G., COTA/L
Location: Meridian
Originally from Sioux Falls, SD, Sarah received her education from Lake Area Technical College. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her kids, traveling to new places and being outdoors with her family and their 2 dogs!

Rachel J., OTR/L
Location: Boise and Nampa
Originally from Castro Valley, CA, Rachel received her education from Samuel Merritt University. Her specialties are neurodiversity, developmental disabilities, and complex histories. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, hiking, working on craft projects, and exploring.

Kiana S. MOT, OTR/L
Location: Meridian
Kiana is originally from Sturgis, South Dakota and she received her education from Lenoir-Rhyne University. She specializes in pediatrics. Kiana loves to read, embroider, and watch TV or movies with her family. She also loves to play with her dogs, Kita and Casper, and grab dinner with friends in downtown Boise.

Skylar S COTA/L
Location: Meridian and Mountain Home
Originally from Heyburn, Idaho, Skylar received her education from the College of Western Idaho. She is a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. She specializes in pediatrics. In her free time, she loves spending time with her husband and their 2 small rescue dogs, watercolor painting, crafting, and spending time outside.

Tiffany H. COTA/L
Location: Meridian
Originally from Boise, Idaho, Tiffany received her education from St. Catherine University. In her free time, she loves writing music, playing guitar and keys, baking, running (so she can eat what she’s baked) and reading murder mysteries.

Jenny B. COTA/L
Location: Boise and Nampa
Originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Jenny received her education from Idaho State University. She is a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. She specializes in pediatrics. In her free time, she spends a lot of time researching health and fitness. She loves to go to the gym and depending on the season, she is often outside walking, riding her mountain bike, paddleboarding, or snowboarding. She also loves to read and listen to books and podcasts. She is a huge Disney fan and loves to travel. She has had opportunities to travel all over the world and she has been to Disneyland hundreds of times!

Christina (Christy) DV- COTA/L
Location: Meridian and Mountain Home
Originally from Corvallis, OR, Christy received her education from George Fox University and Linn-Benton Community College. She is a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. She specializes in sensory processing deficits. In her free time, she loves spending time outdoors! She enjoys running, hiking, paddle boarding, and camping. On cloudy days, she can be found baking or reading with a cup of tea or coffee and listening to music.

DISCOVERING ABILITY IN EVERY CHILD