Our Team

Stephanie Kuipers, M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech- Language Pathologist Stephanie (she/her, they/them) graduated with their Master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Kansas. Upon moving to the Central Illinois

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Meghan Day, MOT, OTR/L

Meghan graduated with her Masters of Occupational Therapy from St. Ambrose University in 2011. She began working in pediatrics following graduation and has dedicated her

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Erica Gleason, MS, PT

Physical Therapist Erica graduated from Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa with a Master of Science degree in physical therapy in 2001.  She has been practicing as

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Abbey Cook, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-language Pathologist Director/Owner Communication Junction Abbey Cook, owner and director of Communication Junction, is a Speech Language Pathologist, receiving her Master’s in Speech and Language

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Stephanie Howard

Office/Billing Support Stephanie Howard started working for Shine Therapy Services doing cleaning in December of 2021. She was then hired in March of 2022 as

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An 8-week program for children age 4-5 with sensory processing differences

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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 therapist Mackenzie Baldock and developmental therapist/PLAY Project Consultant Brenna Thompson, both 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 at our coffee bar 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 to review the report and discuss your child’s progress in Sensory Explorers. COST: $100 due at sign up

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