Grace has a human development and family sciences degree from Kansas State University and a doctorate in occupational therapy from Rockhurst University. Throughout her education, Grace trained in pediatric settings, including outpatient neurological rehabilitation facilities, private practice, and school-based settings. She researched the benefits of intensive therapy interventions for children with Cerebral Palsy during her capstone experience. Grace believes in creating a safe and fun environment for each child and is passionate about helping families and children achieve their goals.
In her free time, Grace enjoys spending time with friends and family, exercising, reading, traveling, trying new restaurants, and photography!
Paige attended Kansas State University, earning her degree in Athletic Training with a minor in Kinesiology. After graduation, she attended the University of Kansas Medical Center to complete her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. During her fieldwork experiences, she worked with children of various ages and diagnoses, creating interventions to target emotional regulation, sensory processing, daily living skills, school participation, and employment readiness. Paige has specific experience with the Down Syndrome population, as she completed a fieldwork rotation at a local non-profit, Down Syndrome Innovations, and is actively involved with the organization when she is not at Playabilities.
Paige had a younger sibling with a disability, giving her perspectives on how this affects the entire family unit. This inspired her to create sibling support resources in collaboration with Children’s Mercy during her Capstone project. Above all, Paige values creating meaningful relationships with families to support their needs. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends, and family. Her favorite occupation is leisure, and she enjoys a variety of creative hobbies including knitting, sewing, and songwriting!
Nicole grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and obtained her Bachelor’s in Health Sciences in 2020 from the University of Missouri. Nicole moved back to Illinois and received her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University in 2023. While obtaining her Doctorate, Nicole continuously educated herself in the pediatric field by completing a full-time fieldwork in a pediatric outpatient clinic and her doctoral capstone focusing on improving social skills of children attending a therapeutic day school.
Nicole passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam in July 2023 and began working at a therapeutic day school in September 2023 with children with varying diagnoses. Nicole received formal and informal mentorship while working full-time at this clinic in order to continue to educate herself and refine her pediatric occupational therapy skills. Nicole has worked with children with various diagnoses including; sensory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, children who have splints, children with behavioral concerns, and many others. Nicole’s approach to pediatric therapy is to use a play-based approach when working with a child to build rapport and trust while having open conversations with families and caregivers to ensure a holistic approach with the best possible outcomes!
Nicole moved to Kansas City in June 2024 and now works for Playabilities. She continues to be passionate about the pediatric field of occupational therapy and is dedicated to helping children and families.
In her free time, Nicole enjoys walking her dog, hanging out with friends, watching movies, and enjoying the sun outdoors!
Corinne attended Kansas State University where she earned her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. After graduation, she attended the University of Kansas Medical Center and earned her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. During her clinical rotations, she gained experience in the school setting working with children ages 3-10 on sensory processing, emotional regulation, fine motor, and visual perceptual skills. She also led weekly dance classes for individuals with disabilities to promote physical activity and social skills. During her Capstone, Corinne created and implemented life skills classes for adolescents and adults experiencing homelessness in the Kansas City area. Throughout her education, Corinne worked as a personal care attendant, empowering individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities to live independently. Corinne is passionate about helping children and their families gain the skills needed to participate in meaningful activities and reach their goals!
In her free time, Corinne enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and cat, Cheesecake! She loves spending time outside, traveling to new places, and trying new foods!
Alyson attended Kansas State University where she dual majored in Kinesiology and Nutrition. After undergrad, she attended Rockhurst University’s Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program, receiving her degree in December of 2023.
During her clinical experiences, Alyson worked with young children who have experienced trauma, impacting their development and social-emotional well-being. Alyson’s capstone experience focused on promoting and improving self-advocacy and self-determination skills in young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She also facilitated group social/leisure activities for high school students and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Alyson has her Mental Health First Aid Certification and is passionate about inclusion, advocacy, and helping children reach their greatest potential. She enjoys building meaningful relationships with my clients and collaborating with caregivers/family members to provide services that meet the child’s and family’s needs.
In her free time, Alyson enjoys spending time with friends and family, spoiling her two nephews, reading, being outdoors, traveling, playing pickleball, and trying new restaurants in KC!
Kirstin graduated from the University of Kansas Medical Center with her doctorate in Occupational Therapy. During her undergraduate studies, she spent time as a program director of a respite care program that served children with disabilities and volunteered in private clinics, hospitals, and adult day programs gaining experience working with a wide range of clients from different backgrounds. During her clinical rotations and since graduation, she has been working in the schools serving students Pre-K to 12th grade with various abilities. Kirstin is looking forward to working with clients and their families to provide a holistic, play-based approach to therapy.
In her free time, Kirstin enjoys spending time with her family and friends, taking her huskies for long walks, and trying new restaurants in the area.
Pediatric and Adolescent Occupational Therapist Noella earned her Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy from Baylor University. Noella has always been passionate about restoring hope and purpose through rehabilitation after recovering from her running injuries and from her dad’s recovery from cardiac arrest. Her passion for Occupational Therapy grew deeply in the special education classroom during her time as a paraprofessional. Her students will always have a special place in her heart but one student in particular who never let her disability stop her has forever changed and inspired Noella to never give up. Now, Noella strives to help all children reach their full potential no matter what the barrier or circumstances is. She is a strong advocate for children and family, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to maximize treatment sessions and promote functional activities in everyday life.
During her fieldwork rotations, Noella gained experience in home health, the school system, outpatient, and inpatient rehabilitation with adults and pediatrics. During her capstone experience she worked with high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to help bridge the gap for transitional work and life skills after graduation.
Noella believes in advocacy, inclusion, fun and client centered care to help all individuals reach their full potential.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends/family and being involved in the community. She also enjoys exploring nature, playing board games, and trying new things!
Mary earned her Doctorate of OT from Belmont University. She has experience in multiple pediatric settings including outpatient intervention, schools, early intervention, and hippotherapy. Mary is passionate about using a child-centered, play-based approach to help kids be kids and reach their goals. Mary loves including caregivers in her treatment sessions and working with families to help them feel empowered in helping their child reach their full potential. Mary has specialized in the evaluation and treatment of children with Sensory Processing Disorders with training from the STAR Institute in Denver, Colorado and in using the DIR/Floortime model in treatment. She has additional specialized training in feeding therapy using the SOS Approach to feeding. Mary believes in using a family-centered, holistic treatment approach to treat the whole child and make therapy motivating, engaging and fun! In her free time, Mary enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading a good book, and spending time with family, friends and pets.
Stephanie graduated from the University of Kansas Medical Center with her master’s in occupational therapy. During her clinical rotations, she had the opportunity to work with kids of all ages with a variety of abilities and spent a full 12-week rotation working with kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. During the school year, Stephanie works in a school district and serves students K-12 with a variety of abilities and needs. She is passionate about helping students participate fully in their time at school. For the last 4 years, she has also spent time teaching swim and water safety lessons to kids who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and tries to spend as much time at the lake as possible.
Steph graduated from The University of Kansas and The University of Kansas Medical Center. Her degrees include a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and a Minor in Psychology. Steph holds an OT license in Kansas and has practiced for over 7 years. She is also a certified group fitness instructor and enjoys bringing health and fitness to both adults and children since 2009. Steph specializes in working with children with Autism, Sensory and Behavioral differences, Down Syndrome, Visually Impaired, and fine and gross motor delays. She works as a full-time occupational therapist in a school district and loves working at PlayAbilities during the summer and after school hours.
When she is not working, Steph enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, traveling, meal prepping, working out and volunteering.
