April is OT Month!

April is Occupational Therapy month and we wanted to give you a glimpse into a typical afternoon in our clinic! Coastal is proud to have 7 highly trained and FUN occupational therapists who work together to provide quality, play-based therapeutic activities designed specifically to meet the needs of each child. At any given moment you could find "Hurricane Mary" gaining force on the bolster swing or a game of hide and seek in the ball pit. Although it might look like each child is "just playing", our therapists have a goal behind each activity which strives to meet the Just Right Challenge for that child.

Mrs. Mary helped her kiddo build a castle, but he had even more fun knocking it down. He didn't realize that he was working on his core and upper extremity strength as well as planning, timing, and executing a motor task! Mary Sebold has been an integral member of Coastal's OT team for over 10 years. She has a passion for working with children with autism and sensory processing disorders to help improve their self-regulation in order to function in everyday activities with greater independence.

Mrs. Jenna is providing support during an activity targeting body awareness, upper extremity and core strength, upper-limb coordination, and balance. Jenna joined our OT team in 2016 and has brought so much energy to our clinic and provides therapy to children at many local private schools. She puts the needs of others before herself and is always finding creative activities to use with her patients.

Independent self-feeding is an important activity of daily living for children. Mrs. Kellie is using a nosey drinking cup to assist with open cup drinking. Kellie is the Director of Occupational Therapy. Her calm and compassionate approach allows her to help children manage a wide range of functional difficulties in order to reach goals.

Mrs. Lanna is using squigs (one of our FAVORITE toys... stay tuned for a post on how great they are) to improve her patient's fine motor skills while in a position that activates his core muscles for improved trunk control. Lanna brought several years of pediatric experience to our team when she started in 2017. Her calm demeanor and positive attitude help her patients feel at ease even when completing challenging tasks.

Mrs. Georganna is encouraging her kiddo to "beat his record" while holding on like a monkey on the bolster swing. This activity is activating the vestibular sense while also improving upper extremity and core strength. Georganna has over 20 years of clinical experience working with children and we were so fortunate that she decided to join our team in 2013. Not only does she have years of hands on experience, she is also always looking to expand on her knowledge for new and innovative treatment approaches. Georganna goes above and beyond to ensure that her patients receive treatment plans designed specifically to meet their individual needs.

Missie is organizing a sensory-motor obstacle course that incorporates vestibular and proprioceptive input, while focusing on body and safety awareness, as well as impulse control and executive functioning. Missie is the newest member of our OT team and has 5-years of experience working in an out-patient pediatric clinic. Her areas of interest include sensory processing and self-regulation, reflex integration, and visual processing just to name a few. She has so many creative treatment ideas that make therapy fun!

Mrs. Laura is helping her patient improve his visual attention while matching letters and bilateral fine motor skills by attaching the paint strips together with a clothes pin. Laura became a member of the Coastal team in 2016 when she relocated from Ohio. Laura was pretty much born and raised to be an OT, following in her mother's footsteps! She has extensive knowledge and experience working with children with feeding difficulties, down syndrome, autism, and genetic or chromosomal disorders.