Sensory Inspired

What Inspired me To Start this Page?

I have been an Occupational Therapist (OT) since 2011. I started out in outpatient pediatrics and started working in a school-based setting in 2013. Prior to returning to school for my Masters in Occupational Therapy, I worked as a ABA Senior Aide for Nationwide Children's Hospital Autism Center. These experiences have certainly shown me that the skills I utilize daily as an OT have been extremely useful in my everyday mommy life.

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How did I choose OT for my career?

Hmmm... where do I even start? Ok, let's start with the fact that when I was little, I always wanted to be a teacher. As a teen, I loved babysitting and anything to do with being around kids. I played volleyball and ran track in high school, which resulted in athletic scholarships (in addition to academic) to Ashland University but still had NO IDEA what to major in. My dad encouraged me to try pre-med which was fine until I started bombing classes HAHA! I never really enjoyed any of the classes under the pre-med umbrella and knew pre-med just wasn't for me. I took a psychology course which started my passion for knowledge of the brain. I decided to major in psychology but also knew that I really loved learning about neurology and anatomy as well. I had no idea what OT even was until one of my volleyball teammates started pursuing it. She filled in me, I started researching and I just knew I'd love to be an OT. However, that was 2002 and I didn't become an OT until 2011. There were a few years of uncertainty in there, where I went back to exploring education. Thankfully, I knew enough about myself to realize that a classroom of children all day long would be far too overstimulating for this introverted gal. I committed to the MOT program at The Ohio State University in 2007 while simultaneously continuing my work at Nationwide Children's Hospital Autism Center. In 2008, I left the Autism Center to focus on my degree and my position as editorial assistant under the late Dr. Jane Case-Smith for the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (OTJR). The rest is history! I graduated with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy, pursued a career in the schools and honestly believe that this career, what I do on a daily basis at my job, is a calling on my life. I could not possibly love what I do anymore than I do.

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Why this blog?

My hope is that this blog will be a lighthearted, fun, yet informative place where you can find real life experiences of a mommy who also happens to be an OT. The longer I practice, the more apparent it becomes that parents would benefit from the resources and information that I use as an OT. My vision is that this blog will provide a place for ALL parents to come for ideas for ALL children.

 

What this page is NOT

Although, I am a practicing and licensed OT, this page is NOT intended to replace or provide direct intervention for your child. The ideas that I hope to share are NOT therapeutic interventions, they are simply mommy tips from me to you. These ideas are NOT intended to replace medical advice, skilled assessments or interventions. I hope you find this site insightful but if you have specific questions regarding concerns for your child's development or OT needs, I encourage you to seek medical advice from your child's pediatrician or other medical professional.

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Also worth mentioning

Maybe this is obvious but worth mentioning, nonetheless, if you begin implementing strategies provided in this blog at home- direct supervision is recommended.

If you have a topic that you'd like to see addressed in a blog post, please consider contacting me with that suggestion. I love the idea of this space being interactive and led by YOU!

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