My Story...
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I get it!
Our family began homeschooling in 2017 after 9 years of working full time as an OT all while raising young children.
Though homeschooling wasn’t in our initial plans – yes, I though homeschoolers were weird and unsocialized- we quickly fell in love with the ability to individualize education.
We were able to spend more time as a family, prioritize learning naturally in the community, and allow my daughter the academic rigor she desired.
However, when it came time for my son to learn to read, he was struggling.
He needed to move ALL. THE. TIME. Yet still had limited memory of what we completed the day before. As an OT, the movement piece was easy for me. I LOVED creatively adding movement to his lessons. But, I didn’t know enough about reading to recognize the progression. I needed help.
Through a process and building a team, we recognized several underlying skills we needed to help him develop. With this valuable information, I was able to adapt our homeschool schedule and environment to help him.
That time in life was really hard. I was often guilt ridden and worried about his future. I went to bed most nights worried I didn’t help enough.
But, I also know that no one cared more than me, his mother.
Now, I’m able to put together my experience as an OT, homeschool educator, and mother of a neurodivergent learner to help you.
I’d be honored to be a part of your team.
(CLICK TO LISTEN) to the whole story on the Brave Writer Podcast!
Homeschool Families come to me asking:
- I feel like I can't teach my child, is this true?
- How can we manage our homeschool day when my child gets overwhelmed?
- How do I help my child with organizing and independence?
- How can we work on handwriting with my young child?
- How do we balance all of our children's needs during the day?
- What equipment can help my child in our homeschool room?
- Is my homeschool good enough for my child with special needs?
- Are there any homeschool friendly occupational therapists in my area? I do not want to be told to put my kid back in public school.
Here's how I help homeschool families:
- Join the 1500+ families in our FREE Homeschool Therapy Ideas Facebook group.
- Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for all the tips. Each month we explore a relevant theme using OT expertise exclusively for homeschoolers
- Let me be your advocate for homeschooling by recommending the course "Homeschool Context and Treatment Strategies" to your occupational therapist
- Schedule a personal homeschool consultation where we discuss your homeschool day and I make specific recommendations to address your personal needs
- Invite me to speak at your co-op, event, podcast. Book a class or public speaking event on Occupational Therapy and homeschool here.
- Join our membership and bring your questions to our weekly office hours for group coaching.
My Resume
Education
- Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, Medical College of Virginia, 2008
- Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Leisure Administration, York College of Pennsylvania, 2001
Work Experience
- Children’s Hospital, Richmond, VA, Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, 2002-2006
- Kennedy Krieger Institute,Baltimore, MD, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, 2008-2011
- University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, MD, Home Health Occupational Therapist, 2011-2016
- Collins Academy Therapy Services, Phoenixville, PA, Homeschool Occupational Therapy Consultant, 2019-present
Homeschool Experience
- Classical Conversations- Foundations Tutor, 2016-2018
- Classical Conversations- Essentials Tutor, 2018
- Charlotte Mason Co-op- Co-coordinator and Instructor, 2019
- Educator in home for 3 children over 7 year age gap, 2016- current
Speaking Experience
- National Institute of Recreation Inclusion- Assistive Technology to Impact Recreation, Palm Springs, CA, 2004
- National Institute of Recreation Inclusion- Low tech Solutions to Promote Inclusion, Austin, TX, 2005
- Children’s Hospital Assistive Technology Symposium, Increasing Functional Programming Using Assistive Technology, Richmond, VA, 2006
- American Occupational Therapy Association poster presentation, Recreation Inclusion in a Camp Setting, Philadelphia, PA, 2011
- Traumatic Brain Injury Symposium, Recreation Inclusion in a Camp Setting, Baltimore, MD, 2012
- University of Maryland Physician Grand Rounds, Occupational Therapy Impact on Patient Outcomes, 2014
- The Science and Art of Narration: Why and How we Comprehend our Living Books, Phoenixville, PA, 2019
- The Impact of Prewriting Skills for Greater Learning, SPED Homeschoolers online webinar, 2020
- Help, My Child Won’t Sit, CHAP convention, 2020 Online Convention, 2022
- Homeschooling Mixed Ages and Abilities, Homeschooling Mom Digital Conference, 2021
- Understanding Learning Styles, Online Digital Conference, 2021, 2022