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!
Kaitlyn received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Kansas, and her bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University. During graduate school, she had experiences in early intervention, and providing services to individuals with hearing loss, fluency disorders, and social communication needs through various clinical opportunities.
Kaitlyn began the first two years of her career in the school setting, where she had the opportunity to work with children aged PK-5th grade, working primarily with speech sound disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech, phonological and articulation disorders, as well as receptive and expressive language development. She also served two specialized program classrooms at this job, working with children with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, and Down Syndrome. In these classrooms, she worked with various augmentative and alternative communication modalities to support the functional communication skills of these students.
Kaitlyn enjoys providing services in a child-led manner that builds on each child’s interests and strengths, and that leads to functional outcomes for children and their families.
In her free time, Kaitlyn loves spending time with friends and family, being active, visiting new places, and cheering on the K-State Wildcats!
Angela earned her Master of Physical Therapy degree from Rockhurst University in Kansas City in 2004. She also has her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Rockhurst University. Angela is a licensed therapist in both Kansas and Missouri.
Angela brings nearly 20 years of experience to the Playabilities team. Angela previously worked for a local school district and in a developmental preschool. She has experience working with a wide variety of medical conditions and levels of motor function in children from birth through 18 years of age. Angela has worked in a variety of pediatric settings and is excited to bring this experience and knowledge to Playabilities. Her pediatric experiences have included aquatic therapy, early intervention services, treadmill training, and kinesiotaping.
Angela has a passion for working with kids and helping them reach their greatest potential. She focuses on making therapy fun and strives to make functional home programs that are embedded within the child and family’s day. Angela firmly believes that parents, caregivers, and other family members are integral members of the therapy team. Her favorite part of working with kids is developing individualized treatment plans and celebrating a child’s successes – big or small along their journey.
Outside of work, Angela spends time with her husband and three boys. You will most likely find her cheering on her boys at their various sports and the hometown favorite – the KC Chiefs. In her free time, she enjoys exercising, traveling with her family, and reading.
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!
Josie earned her Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Baylor University and her Bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing from the University of Kansas. During her graduate studies and since graduation she has gained experience evaluating and treating a variety of individuals including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, hearing loss, Down Syndrome, language delays, speech sound disorders, ADHD, fluency disorders, feeding difficulties, and those who use alternative forms of communication (PECS, AAC, etc.). She also has experience in the home health setting as well as working in the schools in the Kansas City area. Josie has worked with a wide population of students in Kindergarten to 8th grade. She is passionate about providing play-based and client-centered therapy to children.
Josie is originally from a small town outside of St. Louis, but Kansas City is her new home! During her free time she enjoys baking, going on walks, trying new restaurants around KC, and spending time with her fiancé.
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.
Courtney attended Kansas State University for undergraduate and Wichita State University for graduate school. She has worked in skilled nursing, acute care, and the school setting. Her therapeutic interests include receptive and expressive language in the area of birth to five as we see language take off and children experience the success of communication. Courtney has advanced training in Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing for children with apraxia.
Courtney looks forward to including families in the therapy process to assist in carry over of the skills learned in sessions. Her personal interests include roller skating, rock climbing, and paddle boarding.
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!
Briauna (Bri) Bearned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Kansas Medical Center. She was an intern at Playabilities her last semester of her undergrad and later was a tech as well. She found her passion for working with the pediatric population and in an interprofessional environment. Bri has clinical experience working with the pediatric population from her 12 week clinical rotation at a Children’s Mercy outpatient clinic. She had the opportunity to work with children aged 0-18 years old with a variety of developmental diagnoses, orthopedic conditions, Amplified Pain Syndrome, EDS, and more. She looks forward to growing her experiences and finding her areas of interest. During her time at KUMC, Bri completed training through the LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) program. This consisted of experiencing clinical treatment, research, interdisciplinary class discussions, community experiences, family immersion, and advocacy in the government and community. With her classmate, Anna Hegarty, they continued to develop and promote “ablefitness.org”, previously developed by Adam Schnacker and Mackenzie Moore, a website used to promote health and improve access to adaptive sports in the greater KC area.
Bri was also a swim instructor with the Sensory Enhanced Aquatics program, a swimming and water safety program for children with autism spectrum disorders, and continues to sub when needed. Bri looks forward to building long term relationships with her patients and their families. She believes that family involvement in care is important and helps promote long term success.
In her free time, Bri enjoys walking her dogs, planning her wedding, playing pickle ball, playing yard games and board games with her family and friends, hosting dinner parties, playing golf with her fiancé, and cheering on the KC Chiefs and Royals and Kansas Jayhawks.
Katie earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Saint Mary. She attended the University of Kansas for her undergraduate degree where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. Her pediatric clinical experiences consist of multiple pediatric settings including home health, early childhood intervention, and in outpatient pediatrics where she has treated a wide variety of medical conditions and levels of motor function. To further expand on her clinical knowledge, Katie has experience working with neurological injuries such as strokes, spinal cord injuries, and brain injuries in adults. Katie has a strong passion for working with children of all ages and abilities. Communicating success with their families is her favorite part!
Katie was born and raised in Kansas City. Outside of the clinic, you will most likely find her cheering on her Jayhawks and Chiefs, spending time with her dogs, or baking yummy treats to share with her family and colleagues!
