About Me
Hi, I’m Stephanie! A pediatric occupational therapist who has been working in outpatient rehabilitation since 2019.
From the very beginning of my career, I’ve been passionate about creating meaningful, individualized, and evidence-based interventions for the children I work with. Some of my favorite moments in therapy happen in real time, thinking on the spot, adapting toys, and modifying the environment to help a child succeed.
But more often than not, that process involves constant trial and error. While that creativity is part of the joy of being a therapist (duct tape, binder clips, magnets, and sticky Dycem strips are some peronal favorites), I’ve always found myself asking:Why aren’t toys designed this way from the start?
Over time, that question turned into something bigger, especially considering the impact this could potentially have during the most critical early stages of development. I began sharing ideas with colleagues, imagining what it could look like to create toys that don’t require extra steps, adaptations, or workarounds to be used. And now, as a new mom in my postpartum journey, this mission feels even more personal. I’ve experienced a new perspective on development, play, and the importance of those early interactions, and it has only deepened my drive to create something better.
Where This Is Going
My long-term goal is to collaborate with a company as an innovative toy designer, bringing clinical insight into the design process to better serve children with diverse needs.
I may not be an engineer or a traditional product designer (yet!), but I bring something just as valuable, years of hands-on clinical experience, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of how children actually interact with the world around them.
A Second Innovation Focus- Pediatric Rehab Therapists, This One Is For You.
If you’ve ever worked with a young child to assess active range of motion, you know how challenging it can be to capture accurate and consistent data without disrupting the natural flow of play. The time required, combined with fluctuations in a child’s motivation, participation, and emotions, can make this essential task difficult to complete effectively. This sparked another idea:
What if toys themselves could help measure progress?
By integrating degree-based markings into play-based products, therapists could begin to observe and track range of motion more naturally-within meaningful, functional interactions, rather than relying solely on isolated measurements with a goniometer.The goal is not to replace traditional tools, but to enhance the way we capture progress over time, making it more reflective of real-world movement and engagement.