Brenna Thompson, B.S. Communication Sciences & Disorders

PLAY Project Consultant, Developmental Specialist, Autism Advocate, PLAY Project Supervisor

Hi parents! I’m Brenna! I am a Developmental Specialist by trade, and have a special passion for autism. I have spent the last 12 years working with children/adolescents on the spectrum, and loving every single minute of it. I have learned through my experiences that every child is different, every family is unique, and every situation has its celebrations and challenges. I truly feel I have found my calling within this role, and I am excited to continue helping families in the early years.

My long-term goal here at Shine is to continue to empower families to help their little one by being their best teacher/therapist. As a parent to little people who have their own unique challenges, I KNOW what it’s like to want to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses. I truly believe YOU guys as parents reading this are the #1 therapists in their life, after all – you are who is with them around the clock. I am devoted to doing whatever I can to help support and educate you, ((all while keeping it fun)) as you educate me on your little one!! 

I am SO excited to be providing PLAY project to central Illinois! I am a 309 native, but just returning to the area after living in Ohio for the past 13 years. My husband and I were actually born and raised in the small town of Henry about 40 miles north of Peoria. After I graduated college, I briefly joined my husband on his military base out in New Jersey, and then headed to Ohio to help take care of his 2 little babes (my bonus babes!!). We then had 2 additional children making a house full! I am beyond excited to be getting back to my roots, and helping my community with an area that I feel needs more awareness and education. 

In 2014, I was blessed with an opportunity with the county I lived in to provide Developmental Services to families through home visits. I saw a wide array of families with Developmental Delays, but was again always drawn to the families on the spectrum. I think mostly because I see the crucial need so early on for families to understand and be their child’s best advocate, and also because I seem to connect well with these little babes. Our team also knew that I had a strength here, and most families on the spectrum would end up on my caseload. I received my certification through PLAY project in 2016, and providing these services became my passion!

What I love about PLAY… it WORKS. All of the families I have been blessed to be a part of the past 5 years would have rave reviews on this therapy versus other therapies.  It takes on a unique approach of understanding the child as a whole instead of just focusing on the behavior and trying to get the child to do the desired outcome. It helps you as parents understand why your child is reacting the way s/he is, and get to the root of the meltdown first and work to prevent potential future meltdowns. PLAY project also happens in the home, which is a HUGE benefit for this child who typically likes things to be predictable!! We utilize the things in your environment, that will be there for the days to come, to really get to your kiddos level and make improvements in the areas of sensory regulation, personal/social engagement, and communication. 

Thank you so much for reading my BIO! I hope we can connect and I can introduce you to this incredible way of “therapy” 🙂

An 8-week program for children age 3-6 with sensory processing differences

Children with sensory processing differences have difficulty with regulation, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to interact with the world around them. Our Sensory Explorers group targets regulation in order to build engagement! This group is led by pediatric occupational therapists Mackenzie Baldock (2:30 group) OR Meghan Day (8:30 group) and developmental therapist/PLAY Project Consultant Brenna Thompson, all of whom specialize in using developmentally appropriate strategies to support children so they can learn new skills. Group meets once/week for 60 minutes.

Wondering if this class is appropriate for your child? Some characteristics of kids who benefit: easily frustrated with play, repetitive play, difficulty sitting/keeping still to engage in play, refuses to allow others to engage in play, unable to be messy, overly busy, quickly overwhelmed in a busy environment, picky eater, difficulty tolerating grooming/dressing/diapering routines, struggles with transitions/following a group plan/routine. 

Goals of the group include:

  • Child participating in a variety of sensory play activities
  • Engaging socially with others in the group
  • Providing a non threatening environment where children can experience new sensations with the support of a pediatric Occupational Therapist and PLAY Project consultant
  • Providing personalized resources to caregivers, so they better understand the sensory system and learn strategies to assist their child with regulation outside of group
  • Opportunity to meet with other local families
 
 

GROUP MEETS for 8 weeks:  Caregivers must stay on the premises to support their child and learn helpful strategies. Children will separate from caregivers for the session; caregivers can socialize in the lobby (we will also provide a few toys for siblings to play). Caregiver education is a key component of this program. 

 

OPTIONAL Summary Report available at close of session. This 2 page report will summarize your child’s participation in the class and provide helpful sensory strategies to increase their participation in activities. This report could be given to teachers in classrooms & daycares or utilized to help educate other caregivers about ways to help your child participate. This option includes a 30 minute Zoom meeting with Brenna and MacKenzie/Brenna and Meghan to review the report and discuss your child’s progress in Sensory Explorers. COST: $100 due at sign up