Presenters

Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 23 years of experience in diagnostic evaluations, treatment and case management of children, adolescents and adults with language learning disabilities, nonverbal learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, executive dysfunction, Asperger’s disorders and social pragmatics.
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Peter Vermeulen, PhD in Psychology and Clinical Educational Sciences, has more than 35 years of experience in the field of autism. Founder of “Autism in Context”, where autism is understood in context. Peter is an internationally respected lecturer/trainer and he presents all over the world.
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Jed Baker, Ph.D. is the director of the Social Skills Training Project, an organization serving individuals with autism and social communication problems. He writes, lectures, and provides training internationally on the topic of social skills training and managing challenging behaviors. He is an award-winning author of 8 books.
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Sheila Frick, OTR/L is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and founder of Vital Links. Since 1980, Sheila taught internationally clinician, lecturer, and pioneer in Occupational Therapy. Sheila has well over 30 years of clinical experience, having worked in psychiatry, rehabilitation, and home health before specializing in pediatrics. Sheila's expertise includes sensory processing dysfunction, sensory integration, and auditory interventions.
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Danielle has more than 20 years of broad experience as an occupational therapist, working with children, teenagers, and adults through the lifespan. She is the founder of SensoryWellness LLC, a practice dedicated to working with adults and teenagers with regulation and sensory processing challenges.
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Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, OD, Ph.D. is a nationally known optometric educator, lecturer, author, and private practitioner. He is the author of “Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits: A Guide for Occupational  Therapists”, and Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Guide for Occupational Therapists” published by Slack Incorporated. Dr. Scheiman has a long and close relationship with occupational therapists.
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Eileen Richter, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA has over 30 years’ experience working with a variety of disability groups in public schools, hospitals, and private practice. She has her Master of Public Health degree in Maternal & Child Health, is NDT certified, and has published a number of books.
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Patricia Oetter, MA, OT, FAOTA has earned her B.S. degree in occupational therapy from the University of Kansas and her master’s degree in special education from Kansas State Teachers College. She has clinical experience with individuals of varying disabilities, age’s newborn to adult. Her primary emphasis has been infants and toddlers, preschool and elementary-aged children with learning, communication and/or sensory processing disorders.
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Karen Pryor, PhD, PT, DPT, has a doctorate in physical therapy and has practiced for 40 years in the field. Involved with birth to three through early intervention since 1986, she developed techniques to be utilized in homes, childcare centers, and school systems to advance therapy programs in children.
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Amy Coopersmith is a lecturer and consultant who worked as an OT Supervisor, clinician, and evaluator for the NYC Department of Education for 17 years. She is passionate about promoting student self-determination and has provided workshops at national conferences and online learning communities on this topic for the past seven years.
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Lori Benson Adams, M.Ed., has extensive experience with children with learning, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Having taught K-12 in public, private and psycho-educational settings as well as the early intervention field, she brings decades of knowledge and practical “front line” understanding. In private practice for the past 15 years, Lori brings a unique mix of personal and professional insight to the table.
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Linda is a speech-language pathologist and RDI® Consultant. She co-founded Peer Projects - Therapy From the Heart, a clinic in Beverly, MA dedicated to helping kids and families by using a positive, thoughtful communication style that emphasizes understanding, patience, respect, and kindness.
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Tracy Murnan Stackhouse, MA, OTR is the executive director of Developmental FX (DFX) in Denver, Colorado, a non-profit organization providing clinical and training services to engage and elevate pediatric therapeutic practice. She is a leading pediatric occupational therapist (OT) involved in clinical treatment, research, mentoring, and training regarding OT intervention for persons with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially Fragile X Syndrome and autism. Tracy has a master’s degree in developmental psychology/neuroscience. She received her NDT training with Lois Bly. She is SIPT Certified and was the clinical specialist in sensory integration at The Children’s Hospital in Denver as well as the OT for the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center. Tracy continued her clinical and research work with Dr. Randi Hagerman at the UC Davis M.I.N.D.
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Tracy Bjorling; M.S., OTR/L, is a pediatric OT currently pursuing a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tracy has had the wonderful opportunity of being mentored by Sheila M. Frick in her clinic. Working in conjunction with Sheila,
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Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA, is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, special educator, as well as a consultant to schools internationally (www.jessicaminahan.com). Jessica has over seventeen years of experience supporting students who exhibit challenging behavior in urban public-school systems.
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Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L, earned a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University, Dallas, PA. She has been an occupational therapist for 19 years, serving school-aged children and adults. Kelly is winner of multiple awards including the 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association Emerging and Innovative Practice Award.
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Leslie Paparsenos, PT, MS, C/NDT is an independent, pediatric therapy provider, licensed Physiotherapist in Australia, and licensed Physical Therapist in the United State of America. She specializes in evidenced-based, pediatric rehabilitation, serving babies, children, and adolescents across a spectrum of neurological and developmental disabilities, and their families.
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Aubrey Schmalle, OTR/L, SIPT has 20 years experience working with neurologically diverse children using a sensory integrative approach. She graduated from Boston University in 2003 with a Bachelors in Occupational Therapy and continued to advance her clinical knowledge through self-study, mentorship, certification in sensory integration theory and practice (C-SIPT), Consultant level certification in the Tomatis Method, and training in Tomatis-based auditory interventions.
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Amy Lewis is the coauthor of Powerfully You, a social-emotional learning curriculum that focuses on self-regulation. She currently works primarily for Powerfully You: teaching, writing, and supporting therapists and is affiliate faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina.
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Heather Spann has practiced in pediatrics for over 20 years in a variety of settings including private practice, hospital practice, early intervention, residential youth programs, and schools.  In her previous roles, she has served as a clinic administrator and in program development for a multidisciplinary pediatric outpatient rehabilitation center and as a community liaison in grant funding and residential care facilities.  Throughout Heather’s career, her passion continues to be clinical practice with a specialty in sensory integration.
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Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L is the founding owner of the Dyslexia Center of Tulsa, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Penny has over 30 years of experience as an occupational therapist that includes working with children who have special learning needs.
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Miriam (Manela) Frankel, OTR/L, is the founder of Childrenbloom.com.  ChildrenBloom.com provides toolkits for parents and educators to deal with struggling children. It is unique in its combination of both hands-on techniques and demonstrations of physical exercises, to be used at home as remediation, alongside guidance and emotional support for parents so that they have tools, along with their own intuition, to deal with different behaviors and challenges.
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Ricki Dembitzer has been an Occupational Therapist for over 20 years specializing in pediatrics. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in psychology from Wayne State University in Michigan and received an additional Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health Sciences as well as a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Touro College in New York City.
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Jenni Halstead, BS, COTA/L has worked in OT for the past 25 years. She is an instructor and academic fieldwork coordinator in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Washburn University in Kansas. She worked in pediatrics prior to instructing at WU for 13 years, and has also worked in upper extremity rehab, acute care, and long-term care. She specializes in reflex integration training
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Dr. Jessica Gilson PT, DPT is a physical therapist who received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Touro College and her Bachelors of Science from Yeshiva University Stern College for Women. Jessica primarily works with children and young adults ranging in age from birth to 21 years old in a variety of settings.
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Dena Isaacs, MA OTR/L has worked in school-based occupational therapy for over 20 years. Dena works in a private school as a staff OT as well as running a private OT practice. Dena has been a level 1 and level 2 fieldwork supervisor for Touro College. In addition, she developed and runs a prewriting and writing program for 4 and 5-year-olds. Her program is an innovative, multisensory program that includes uniquely tailored weekly lessons to ensure that students become proficient writers.
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Dr. Robert Melillo is one of the world’s most sought after and respected experts in Developmental Functional Neurology, Brain Imbalances, hemispheric integration and the diagnosis and correction of most neurobehavioral disorders and learning disabilities.
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Gail Ritchie, OTR, C/NDT is an independent, pediatric therapy provider and Occupational Therapist offering a range of therapies based on the culmination of skills and expertise attained over the last 35 years.
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Alex Lopiccolo a/k/a Mr. Alex is an experienced Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Consultant. Alex is well known as The King of Swings.
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Dr. Zehr is an international trainer to schools and organizations in the cognitive skills method, the Feuerstein Program. She also offers unique personalized coaching to corporate executives who wish to improve or restore cognition to continue important contributions to their professional field of expertise.
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Melanie has over 20 years of experience as a successful pediatric feeding therapist. Melanie’s advice has been shared in a variety of popular television and print media. She is the co-author of the award-winning Raising a Healthy Happy Eater: A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating (2015) and Baby Self-Feeding: Solutions for Introducing Purees and Solids to Create Lifelong Healthy Eating Habits (2016). Melanie is the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids (2010) and the producer of the award-winning kids’ CD Dancing in the Kitchen: Songs that Celebrate the Joy of Food!
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Jenny L. Clark, OTR/L, BCP (AOTA Board Certification in Pediatrics) graduated from The University of Kansas in 1990 with distinction and has helped children over the past 28 years as a licensed pediatric occupational therapist working as a speaker, consultant, private practitioner at her own clinic (Jenny’s Kids, Inc.), school-based occupational therapist, independent contractor for early intervention services, author, and inventor.
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Lindsey Biel is a pediatric occupational therapist with a private practice in Manhattan. She is co-author of the award-winning Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues, with a foreword by Temple Grandin and the author of Sensory Processing Challenges: Effective Clinical Work with Kids & Teens.
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Dr. Bialer is an experienced seminar leader, educational adjunct instructor and lecturer, providing numerous clinical workshops across the country on the topics of Sensory Processing Disorder; School Based Therapy, Attention, Praxis and Executive Functions.
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Carrie is a 1996 graduate of the Medical College of Georgia Occupational Therapy program. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings in Georgia, New York, and South Carolina, and Colorado. Over the past 20+ years, Carrie has continually sought to further her knowledge and understanding by completing continuing education on topics including sensory integration theory, infant massage instruction (IAIM), Integrated Listening Systems (iLs ), and Handwriting without Tears (HWT).
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A unique combination of clinical psychologist, nutritionist, and special education teacher, Dr. Nicole Beurkens, PhD, has almost 20 years of experience supporting children, young adults, and families. She has specialized expertise in evaluating and treating a wide range of developmental and mental health concerns...
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Mary Hallway, OTR/L, SWC, C/NDT received the Bachelor of Science degree with honors in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University and has forty years of experience specializing in pediatrics in medical, educational, and community-based settings.
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Bethanne N. Mazurczak MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT has been a practicing clinician since 1990, specializing in the pediatric rehabilitation of infants, children, and adolescents. Bethanne has a wide range of experience in working with children of all ages with neurological and developmental disabilities. She is certified in Neuro-DevelopmentalTreatment, SOS Feeding, and is currently completing the process as an NDT Candidate Instructor for the NDTA.
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Rosetta graduated from NYU Physical Therapy with a BS/PT in 1990. Rosetta has over 30 years experience in orthopedic/sports therapy, as well as pediatric early intervention home care and school based therapy.
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Janet McDonald trained directly with the founders of RMTi™, psychiatrist Harald Blomberg, MD, and kinesiologist Moira Dempsey. She is a Learning Specialist, Licensed Massage Therapist LMT, has studied numerous methods of Reflex Integration and served as international instructor.
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Tania is the co-founder of the Institute of Child Psychology. She is a registered Psychologist and a registered Play Therapist. She completed her undergraduate studies in South-Africa before engaging in a one-year, full-time internship in Chicago at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. In 2012, she received her Masters of Counselling from the City University of Seattle.
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David Blaski is a neonatal/pediatric occupational therapist and certified early intervention specialist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of sensory processing disorders, neurological and orthopedic disorders, developmental delay and autistic spectrum disorders.
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Paula Cox, PT, DSc, PCS, is a licensed, board certified, physical therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience in pediatric neurological and neuromuscular rehabilitation.
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Chrys Kub, PT, C-NDT is NDT certified in pediatrics and an integrative physical therapist with over 30 years of clinical experience. Chrys has developed and taught courses in evidenced-based treatment techniques for children with neurodevelopmental disorders as well as courses in therapeutic yoga applications for children and adults throughout the US and online. She has extensive experience in multiple settings including outpatient neurological rehabilitation, the school, Private Practice, Outpatient Sensory Integration Clinic, NeoNatal Home Health, and Early Intervention.
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