ABOUT US

Our goal is to optimize the learning potential of children and promote success, independence, and confidence to be carried over beyond the walls of our clinic. Our vision is a continuum of success in the home, school, and community.  We would like to educate parents, children, and professionals on the sensory connection and how it impacts life skills.  We would like to lend clarification to what is, and what is not sensory based disorders.   We believe in evidence based practice and hope to contribute to the research to support sensory integration therapy.  We are committed to providing your child with the most comprehensive and innovative therapy services available that are research based and have high success rates. We believe that the true test of any clinical intervention is its functional outcome and measurable success. 

MEET THE DIRECTOR

The Director, Dina L. DiCola, a graduate from Boston University, is an occupational therapist with over 16 years of pediatric experience.  She has worked in hospitals, schools, private practices, and Early Intervention in both New York and Rhode Island. She has certification in Sensory Integration & Praxis Test/ SIPT and in NeuroDevelopmental Treatment/ NDT for children.  She is also a provider of Berard Auditory Integration Training/ AIT, The Listening Program/TLP, Play Attention, and Interactive Metronome/IM.  Dina has taken over 250-additional continuing education hours of coursework in Sensory Integration, NeuroDevelopmental Treatment, Picture Communication Exchange System/PECS training, Applied Behavioral Analysis/ ABA training, Handwriting Without Tears, CranioSacral Therapy, Auditory Integration Training, and cognitive training. 

TheraPediatrics came about because of my challenge identifying and treating children properly with sensory processing disorders and sensory integration difficulties. I spent 12 years working in schools, private clinics, hospitals, and homes attempting to treat a variety of children without adequate testing and without proper sensory equipment. I felt as though the sensory checklists gathered good information but not enough. While I took pride in developing sensory diets in different settings with limited resources, I often felt I needed to be doing more. Even while working in a SI clinic, I felt as though there were missing pieces to the sensory puzzle which I sought out. So I went for more training and became SIPT certified. I learned more about the clinical observations and testing measures necessary in addition to sensory questionaires. As a more experienced therapist, I became especially interested in the correlation between psychological testing, educational testing, and sensory integration/ sensory motor performance. I learned that while children can present with sensory symptoms, symptoms alone can be misleading and require more information. Optimal brain functioning/ cognition can not occur without adequate sensory integration. And proper sensory integration depends on adequate brain functioning/ cognition. Without truly understanding this connection, treatment can deem inconsistent results and slow progress. I discovered that filtering out and identifying true sensory dysfunction is a process that requires a skilled eye and ear of an experienced therapist with adequate test materials and proper sensory equipment.

ABOUT OUR THERAPISTS

Dina DiCola- Founder and Program Director

Experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist.  Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) & Pediatric NeuroDevelopmental Treatment (NDT) Certified.  Interactive Metronome (IM) Certified.  Berard Auditory Integration (AIT) Certified, The Listening Program Certified (TLP), TLP Bone Conduction Certifified, and Integrated Listening Systems Certified (iLs).  Play Attention Certified.  Over 16 years pediatric experience with specialty training in sensory integration therapy. 

Kristi Langslet-Experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Sensory Integraton (SIPT)  & Pediatric NDT Certified. Interactive Metronome (IM) Certified.  Over 20 years pediatric experience with specialty training in sensory integration therapy and feeding therapy.  Kristi is also the founder of Sommerfly, LLC which creates and designs therapeutic products including weighted products for children and adults.  

Nancy Burns-Heagney-Experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Sensory Integration (SIPT) Certification in progress.  Over 17 years pediatric experience with specialty training in sensory integration therapy.

Jamy Black McCole- Experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Sensory Integration (SIPT) Certified.  Over 10 years pediatric experience with specialty training in sensory integration therapy.

Ashley Rae Forrestal- Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant

Interactive Metronome (IM) Certified.  Over 3 years pediatric experience with specialty training in sensory integration therapy. 

Lynn Gauman, MA, CCC-SLP- Experienced Speech & Language Pathologist

Over 20+ years experience with specialty training in dysphagia, motor speech disorders, voice disorders, dysfluency, and language delays.  Trained in PROMPT therapy, Picky Eater-Food Chaining, and Talk Tools protocols.  Special interest in Listening Therapy (ILs) and Sensory Integration. 

Karin Hamel- Office Manager

ABOUT THE CLINIC

The clinic offers state of the art equipment and technologies.  We have developed a facility that begins with the most comprehensive evaluation and looks at the whole child. We have created the space so that children can learn to explore. We have padded surfaces that are safe so that children are more willing to take risks. We have suspended equipment and climbing equipment to enhance modulation and the body map. We offer auditory integration training to enhance listening, attending, learning, and modulation of states of arousal. We have cognitive training programs that use neurofeedback/biofeedback to enhance brain functioning. We educate the parents and caretakers so that the program can be carried on at home or in the school environment.

At TheraPediatrics, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to work on sensory processing and integration so that our clients have fun while getting better. We bring the latest technology to your child to enhance his/her learning experience. We are invested in your child's success.

To view our facility, click here.

To reserve a space for your child Contact Us now.