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Development & Occupational Therapy
Amanda is a wife, a mother of 3 and a pediatric occupational therapist in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Amanda graduated from James Madison University in 2003 with a bachelors in OT. She received a research based masters degree in OT from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2009 and her doctorate degree in OT from VCU in 2013. She has a passion for learning and helping others, especially children and families. Amanda’s occupational therapy experience includes helping children and families in both the hospital and early intervention settings. She has achieved several high level certifications in the areas of sensory processing, neuro-developmental treatment and feeding.
My Philosophy
As children, we learn through play. Play is the “job” of the child. Play allows a child the freedom to be creative and develop into their unique being. Development begins in utero and changes as the baby grows. It is so fun to watch your baby achieve their early milestones and is a journey from complete dependence on their caretakers to becoming independent. Each aspect of development influences the other and directly impacts further development, so it is important to catch areas where development may be slightly behind or delayed. The earlier this is recognized and intervention can occur, the better chance the child has to catch up with their development.
How I can help?
I would love to help you understand the typical progression of development and why each new skill is important in the development of the next skill. For example, did you know that babies explore with toys in their mouth, to get their mouth ready for food? If this does not happen around the 3-5 month range, babies may have trouble starting solid foods. Each skill your baby does has a reason and a timeframe and it is so fun to learn the why’s behind the stages of development. I would love to help your child in any stage of their development and give you ideas and strategies for advancing their development to the next stage through play. I would love to offer family friendly ways to “play” with your child to help them meet their milestones.
My services include formally assessing your child’s overall development (this can be in person or virtual) and providing you with a family friendly home program to work on their development through play. I will check in with you regularly to see how things are progressing and offer feedback and new ideas. This is a great way to keep therapy at home and happening naturally through play with your child. This is also a unique way to learn all the ins and outs about your child’s development, which is another special way you can understand your child and meet their needs. Please reach out for more information to see if this is a good fit for you and your child.
There are several package options to choose from starting at $100.