ABOUT US
About Us
OT For Kidz is a facility that provides occupational therapy services to young children. It was founded by Occupational Therapists, Dr. Paula Stewart, PP-OTD/OTR/L and Dr. Christine Grant, PP-OTD, OTR/Lin 2010. Both owners have over 27 years of clinical experience, are SIPTs certified clinicians (national certification in Sensory Integration), approved lecturers for nearly 2 decades, Edcuators in academia, and authors. With a team of exceptional, compassionate and knowledgeable OT clinicians we at OT For Kidz service babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children.
OT For Kidz accept DOE "RSAs" and preschool contracts! We believe in working in partnership with families and your child's interdisciplinary team. We welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you high quality service!
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We specialize in working with a spectrum of neurodiversified children. Some common diagnosis are Sensory Processing Disorders, Autism, Attention Deficit Hypersensitivity Disorder, (ADHD), Learning Disability, Genetic disorders and other developmental disorders.
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Experience
OT For Kidz was established in 2010 by two Occupational Therapists which has grown to a network team of multiple compassionate and knowledgeable occupational therapy practitioners. We prioritize the utilization and effectiveness of our various sensory gyms to meet the needs of each child with the understanding that this hinges on the expertise of the OT clinician. Our mode of providing evaluation and treatment intervention is based on our knowledge of childhood development, brain development, sensory processing, and sensory integration (a brain-based approach) grounded in the concept of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain's capacity to change with influencers and this change can influence progress for improved function.
Here at OT For Kidz, our intervention incorporates our knowledge of the various types of Sensory Processing Disorders along with Reflex Integration, Therapeutic Handling & Massage, Oculomotor functional vision, general auditory processing deficits along with many other strategies such as listening therapy programs (iLs-Interactive Listening Systems, IM-Interactive Metronome, and the Therapeutic Listening Program). We also utilize the Handwriting Without Tears program integrated with other handwriting strategies for preschool and school-aged children struggling with handwriting.
Community and Awards
OT For Kidz has a strong passion for working with children, families, and the community. In addition, we believe in educating others through our various workshops, webinars, and training for other pediatric clinicians, educators, and parents. Both co-founders Dr. Paula and Dr. Christine were field testers for the pediatric assessment tools, the DAYC-2 and the PDMS-3, and through various educational and network events these experiences provided the opportunity to educate other practitioners about the importance of evidence-based assessment and treatment and help to disseminate best practices. We believe this is part of community service. Because of our strong belief in community service, OT For Kidz has also taken part in other various events such as Autism Walk, Asthma Walk, Cancer Walk, Career Day events, Health Fairs, Mentoring, Free parent workshops, and Professional round-table discussions amongst other events.
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Co-founder, Dr. Paula, has received many awards. In r2006, she received an award of recognition for many years of dedication from the NY State Black Occupational Therapist Caucus . The New York State Association (NYSOTA) granted her the Merit Award for Practice in 2019 and in 2021 she received the Ellen Sterns-Paquin Clinical Practice Memorial Award in 2021.
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Co-founder, Dr. Christine, received multiple awards in 2017 for recognition of community services from the Caribbean-American Outreach Association (USA), the New York City Council, Congresswoman Yvette Clark, and the New York State Assembly. In 2023, she received the Ellen Sterns-Paquin Clinical Practice Memorial Award from the New York State Occupational Therapy Association (NYSOTA).
Collaborations
Co-founders Dr. Paula and Dr. Christine each have over 27 years of clinical experience and have worked with children of various ages from various backgrounds and abilities. They have provided consultations, assessments, and ongoing therapy in general educational settings, special needs early intervention programs, general education, and special needs preschool programs, within the child's home, sensory integration camps for children with special needs, and multi-disciplinary teams in the community. Both have worked in collaboration with ABA and Miller specialists, educators, nutritionists, developmental optometrists, and audiologists while integrating the sensory integration approaches. These experiences have been used to develop the various programs at OT4Kidz!
Our Environment
OT for Kidz is a friendly and professional facility composed of multiple state-of-the-art sensory gyms that were therapeutically designed to treat different types of sensory processing disorders, develop fine motor skills, and enhance functional abilities for children in the age range of birth to 12 years old. Our gyms and fine motor areas were established to make therapy effective and fun. Here at OT For Kidz children think they are playing, which is an integral part of providing therapy. After all, along the developmental lifespan of childhood occupation is Play as well as Education, Social Interaction, Leisure, Sleep/Rest, Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), and Instrumental activities of daily Living (i.e., chores, money management, etc) !
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