The schedule below is a tentative schedule and subject to change. Again, sessions may be moved and adjusted.
2023 Speaker Bios
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Mary Massery,
Dr. Massery received her BS in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University in 1977, her DPT from the University of the Pacific in 2004 and her DSc from Rocky Mountain University in 2011. Her publications and interests focus on linking motor behaviors to breathing and/or postural mechanics in both pediatric and adult patient populations. Dr. Massery has been invited to give over 1,000 professional presentations in all 50 US states and in 18 countries worldwide, including more than 100 presentations for the American Physical Therapy Association. Mary’s research pioneered the concept of managing trunk pressures as a new way to visualize core stabilization. She has delivered keynote and major addresses on topics such as cystic fibrosis and posture, pectus excavatum (chest deformities), connections between posture & breathing, and PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation).
Mary has received national awards from the APTA, including its highest clinical award, The Florence Kendall Practice Award, honoring “one’s outstanding and enduring contributions to the practice of physical therapy." She has been honored as Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by each of her 3 universities. She was also awarded Northwestern University’s Alumnae Research Achievement Award. Mary continues to maintain a private practice in Chicago, specializing in breathing and postural dysfunction.
Mary Massery,
PT, DPT, DSc
Robert Constantine
Robert Constantine, OTR\L is a 1997 graduate of University of Alabama at Birmingham Occupational Therapy program where he was awarded the Charles Brooks Award for Creativity. He has practiced in home health, and skilled nursing contexts and spent 9 years as the clinical specialist in brain injury at the West Florida Rehabilitation Institute where he developed a passion for evidenced-based treatment, sharing information and the functional effects of the visual system. Beginning in 2013, he enjoyed a 3 year tenure at an optometry practice where he learned techniques working closely with low vision, pediatric and adult optometrists. He has received Clinical Level 1 and 2 training offered by the Neuro-Optometric Rehab Association. He was also instructed in sports vision training working with the High Performance Vision Associates, a national group of optometrists that offer sports vision screenings to elite athletes. He developed specialized Drag Racing Glasses and has worked with NHRA Sportsman and Professional Drag Racers. He continues to provide vision rehabilitation services to pediatric and adult patients at the Pearl Nelson Center
Robert Constantine,
OTR/L, CBIS
Athena Oden
Athena Oden, PT, graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and has spent the last 40 years in pediatrics, working in public and private school settings including schools for the blind and deaf and early childhood, residential facilities, and non-profit organizations for children. She has created and implemented successful motor programs for schools throughout the U.S., headed Assistive Technology teams, designed accessible playgrounds, and served on the founding Board of Directors for a private school. She presents both nationwide and internationally on childhood development and its importance in an academic setting.
Her newest book, Ready Bodies, Learning Minds: Cultivating the Complete Child, is written for therapists, teachers and parents, and gives insight into the sensory and motor systems necessary for learning and success for students of all ages and abilities, incorporating research and references while outlining the curriculum for school-based motor lab programs. As a companion tool, The Manual for Ready Bodies, Learning Minds Screening Report assists therapists in identifying specific intervention strategies. Athena was privileged to participate in the creation of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) white paper for The Role of School-Based Physical Therapy: Successful Participation for All Students in 2012 and its current update in 2023, and to serve, for six years, as a past Regional Representative for the South Central US states for the School Based SIG of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
Athena C. Oden,
PT
Susan Cecere,
Susan Cecere, PT, MHS is the owner of Sequoia School Based Therapy Solutions, LLC a consulting company that supports districts, agencies and therapists in the practice of school-based therapy services by providing mentoring, professional development and administrative support. Sue’s career has spanned 25 years in the school based and early intervention practice settings both as a service provider and program administrator.
She graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy, a master’s degree in health science from Towson University, and a graduate certificate in educational leadership from McDaniel College. Cecere is an experienced speaker on school practices and its administrative considerations. She is a former physical therapy chair of the Maryland State Department of Education Steering Committee for Occupational and Physical Therapy School-Based Programs, and coauthor of the Maryland State Guide to Early Intervention and School-based Practices and the Arkansas Guide to PT Practice which is under review. She is an active member of APTA’s Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, where she has co-authored several fact sheets on school practice issues and served as its vice president for 8 years. In 2012, she received the Susan K. Effgen Award for her advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels in support of pediatrics.
Susan W. Cecere,
PT, MHS
Anna Vander Haeghe,
Anna Vander Haeghe received her Bachelors of Science in OT with Distinction from University of Alberta in 1998. Anna has been a full-time practicing OT for the past 25 years, starting up OT departments in 2 communities of around 10,000 population. Working in small rural locations as an OT, she has worked in all possible OT areas from newborns to palliative care; gaining expertise in feeding and swallowing, splinting, sensory integration and processing, seating and adaptive equipment, Long Term Care, wound care, AAC and pediatrics. Eleven years ago, she shifted to focus solely on supporting children of all ages using neurodevelopmentally informed practice. Curious, passionate and focused, Anna has loved her journey into interoception and how that relates to our experience as humans. Weaving interoception-based practice into her work as an OT in Alberta, Canada has been life-changing for her students, families and co-workers. Anna currently works full time in multiple educational and early intervention settings, homes and has an active private practice that strongly incorporates interoception. Anna mentors therapists around the world in ways to modify interoception work for the diverse needs of learners including those with AAC. She has presented with interoception expert, Kelly Mahler and is passionate about sharing her practical knowledge and experience with others. At the same time, she is constantly learning and building skills from her students and colleagues.
Anna Vander Haeghe, BScOT
Toni Doty,
Toni Doty PT, PhD is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy who has worked with
children for over 30 years in the NICU, EI, and schools. She received her BS in Physical Therapy from Ohio State University, her post-professional MS in Physical Therapy from the University of Oklahoma, and her PhD in Special Education/Transition Leadership from Kent State University. Dr. Doty is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the DPT program at Walsh University. She has served as chair of APTA’s Taskforce on the Continuum of Care for People with Lifelong Disabilities, chair and vice chair of the Adolescents and Adults with Differing Abilities SIG of the Academy. Dr. Doty’s research includes the impact of testing environment on gross motor performance of children, the role of physical therapists working with secondary students under IDEA, effectiveness of interventions for adults
with cerebral palsy, and outcome measures/healthcare transition issues for adults with lifelong disability.
Toni Doty,
PT, PhD.
Brenda Montecalvo
Brenda Montecalvo, has provided primary care optometry to her patients in a successful cutting edge private practice setting for over 35 years. She is the author of the new book "Visual Secrets for School Success". She presents the Cedarville Seminar Series for Optometric Vision Therapy (OVT), and is a passionate, sought-after international speaker in the areas of vision and learning, neuro-optometric rehabilitation (NOR), strabismus, amblyopia, OVT, prescribing of therapeutic performance lenses, preventive eye care, and practice management (PM).
She is co-author of the American Optometric Association (AOA) Brain Injury Electronic Resource Manual and has authored other articles about NOR, OVT and Practice Management.
Dr. Montecalvo is Past-Chair of the AOA Vision Rehabilitation Section (VRS) and a member of the AOA Education Committee. She is Past-President of the Ohio Optometric Association and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA), Co-Chair of the John Streff Invitational Lens Symposium, and trustee of the Vision Leads Foundation. She has served as a Clinical Associate Professor for Western College of Optometry and The Ohio State University College of Optometry.
Dr. Brenda Montecalvo, OD, FCOVD, FAAO, FCSO
Cindy Dodds
Cindy Dodds, PT, PhD, PCS is an Associate Professor within the Division of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is responsible for the pediatric content within the program, which includes pediatric experiential learning opportunities in South Carolina and Africa for physical therapy students. Cindy is also Director of the MUSC Physical Therapy Pediatric Residency. Her clinical and research interest focuses on children with medical complexity, including examination of heart rate variability and development of the Pediatric Awareness and Sensory Motor Assessment. She is a co-principal investigator for the MUSC site of the I-Acquire study and was recently awarded research funding from the National Endowment of the Arts and chair of the sub-committee for children with medical complexity within the Academy of Pediatric School-based SIG within American Physical Therapy Association.
Cindy Dodds,
PT, PhD, PCS
Amy Bailes
Amy F. Bailes PT, PhD, PCS is a Physical Therapist III at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Bailes has 35 + years of pediatric clinical experience and has been recognized by the APTA as a Pediatric Clinical Specialist since 1993. She began her career at Boston Children’s Hospital, moved to Los Angeles and worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and has been at Cincinnati Children’s for 29 years. Her clinical practice focuses primarily on the care of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. With doctoral training in clinical epidemiology, her area of research focus includes health services and quality improvement with a particular emphasis on physical therapy dose for individuals with CP.
Amy F. Bailes,
PT, PhD, PCS
Rebecca Weisshaar,
Rebecca Weisshaar, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist with five years of experience at Cincinnati
Children’s Hopsital. She works in a developmental outpatient clinic serving patients ages birth – 22 with a wide
range of developmental diagnoses including autism, sensory processing disorder, feeding difficulties, and fine motor
delays. Rebecca has been the lead of the Division of Occupational and Physical Therapy’s autism clinical practice
team for two years and a member for four. In this role, she has facilitated improved practice related to
neurodiversity, co-treatments, and the autism intensive program. Prior to coming to Cincinnati Children’s, Rebecca
was a graduate trainee with The Ohio State University’s LEND program and research assistant in a lab focusing on
transition to employment for adolescents with pervasive disabilities.
Rebecca Weisshaar - OTD, OTR/L
Barb Elleman
Barbara Elleman has been an occupational therapist for 30 years working in pediatrics for the majority of her clinical career. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University, a post professional Masters in Health Science from the University of Indianapolis and a post professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Eastern Kentucky University. She is currently pursuing a PhD through the University of Kentucky with a research focus on neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and in utero opioid exposure. Her clinical experience involves work with children of all ages, with a variety of occupational challenges in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She currently provides coverage in several multidisciplinary specialty clinics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center including a neonatal follow up clinic providing services to families and their infants who have been exposed to opioids in utero. Barbara also serves as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Xavier University where she has taught courses covering pediatrics, ethics / professional issues, applied neuroscience, scholarly inquiry and interprofessional practice.
Barb Elleman -
OTD, MHS, OTR/L
Sarah Fox
Sarah Fox, PT, DPT. Dr. Fox simultaneously earned her clinical doctorate from Tennessee State University and her Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) training from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She has been a loyal contributor to one of the top three best children’s hospitals in the country, Cincinnati Children’s, since 2013 and is the leading expert in pediatric pelvic health in the greater Cincinnati region. She founded and leads a successful pediatric pelvic health program at CCHMC partnered with the Colorectal Center, Gastroenterology, Urology and Gynecology Departments. Her clinical expertise has inspired interests including the role pelvic health plays in diagnoses across the board.
Dr. Sarah Fox,
PT, DPT
Megan McKim
Megan McKim is a graduate of OSU with a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with a minor in Disability Studies and a master’s degree in OT with a specialization in Pediatrics. Megan currently serves as the Behavioral Health Clinical Manager for OT, speech-language pathology, and therapeutic recreation at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. Megan began her career working as an OT in pediatric acute care and inpatient rehabilitation. Megan has consistently worked within pediatric behavioral health since 2014 and has worked in variety of settings: inpatient psychiatry, psychiatric crisis care, intensive and chronic pain day treatment, disordered eating partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, and early childhood mental health. Megan has notable experience in providing care to the LGBTQIA+ population, has been actively involved in developing and sharing best practices throughout her department and broader organization, and has presented on this topic at a national level.
In addition to presenting on LGBTQIA+ competent care, Megan has previously enjoyed presenting at local, state, and national professional conferences on a variety of topics including program development within inpatient pediatric psychiatric programs, facilitating return to school for children after an inpatient psychiatric hospital admissions, the use of telehealth for group therapies during a pandemic, the use of the Co-Op approach with youth with mental and behavioral health challenges, managing inappropriate sexual behaviors in clinical practice, and more. Megan is a member of the OOTA and the AOTA as well as an affiliate member of American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and the Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSLHA). Megan is also a member of AOTA’s Pediatric Trauma Community of Practice.
Megan McKim -
MOT, OTR/L
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Douglas Nunn
In practice for over 20 years, Doug Nunn has been a Physical Therapist at CCHMC Perlman Center for the past 9 years, and recently transitioned into the role of PT Coordinator. The Perlman Center is a specialty assistive technology center and part of the CP Program at CCHMC, serving primarily patients with CP and other complex conditions. In his years at the Perlman Center, Doug has extensive experience evaluating and treating infants, children, and adults with CP and complex conditions who require comprehensive complex rehabilitation equipment evaluations, and providing CP specific therapies in a multi-disciplinary group setting.
Douglas Nunn -
PT, DPT
Christine Urig
Christine Urig, is a graduate of OSU and in 2012 obtained her Master of Occupational Therapy with A.T. Still University in conjuction with Arizona School of Health Sciences. She is currently an occupational therapist at the Fairfield County Educational Service Center. She presently serves students in preschool through high-school within multiple school districts. Ms. Urig has presented trainings regarding Medicaid reimbursement in the school-based environment to the West Central District Ohio OTA and presented during the 2016 and 2017 Ohio Summer Institute and during the 2022 SBP Summit. She has served as a school-based therapist for over 23 years. Her past experience also includes OT Supervisor at the Miami Valley Regional Center where she managed district assignments, mentored staff, and answered questions from therapists and school districts related to OT/PT services with the integration of licensure, IDEA, and Medicaid policies and documentation, an OT Clinical Supervisor for both the in-patient and out-patient units at Upper Valley Medical Center, staff occupational therapist in the adult rehabilitation unit at St. Elizabeth Hospital, and a staff member at Akron General Hospital mental health units.
Christine Urig,
OTR/L
Shannon Teeters
Shannon Teeters, OTR/L, BCP, is a Level 2 Occupational Therapist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She has been a pediatric therapist for 25 years. She is Board Certified In Pediatrics, is Sensory Integration and Praxis Certified, and has completed the Sensory Processing Disorder Proficiency Certification I. She is the team lead for the Sensory TRACK (Translating Research and Clinical Knowledge) team at CCHMC and is a clinical trainer for developmental and sensory competencies. She participated in the development and implementation of the sensory intensive program at CCHMC and carries an outpatient caseload specializing in children with challenges in sensory processing and integration.
Shannon Teeters -
OTR/L, BCP
Kim Helms
Kim Helms, OTR/L received her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University in 1998. She has practiced at Butler Hospital (mental health hospital site), Nursing home practice, Home care provider, Early Intervention in Ohio, and outpatient Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (outpatient rehab, feeding team, DDBP, Aquatic therapy/wellness) early in her career. She has been a school based OT practitioner for the past 20 years. Kim has worked with students from preschool to high school (aged 3 up to 22 years of age). She has experience working with students with a variety of diagnosis/abilities ranging from Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome, Specific Learning Disabilities, and additional complex medical diagnoses. Kim has experience with selecting appropriate activities based on a student’s ability level that will help them achieve their greatest potential within limits of their mental and physical capabilities. Kim has supervised COTAs within the school setting and worked collaboratively with various educators in developing a strong team approach to both identified students with IEPs and students within the RtI/MTSS process. She is currently the OTPT supervisor at BCESC in Hamilton, OH. Kim is a strong advocate for providing the students the level of service they need working within the ODE guidelines.
Kim Helms -
OTR/L
Denise Campbell
Denise A. Campbell completed a 5 year Master in OT and received a Master of Science. She has been licensed in Ohio and Registered and practicing in a School-Based practice area for the past 17 years. Denise has worked with students ranging from the preschool to high school aged students (aged 3 up to 22 years of age). She has experience working with students with a variety of diagnosis/abilities ranging from Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome, Specific Learning Disabilities, and additional complex medical diagnoses. Denise has experience with selecting appropriate activities based on a student’s ability level that will help them achieve their greatest potential within limits of their mental and physical capabilities. She also has extensive experience using Visual Contracts, Visual Countdowns, and Picture Communication Systems with students who have limited verbal abilities and has been named an A-List Therapist by the MCESC Autism and Low-Incidence Coaching Team. Denise has experience supervising both Level I; Level II OT fieldwork students and several Capstone Fieldwork students. She has developed building wide gross motor and sensory strategies in coordination with the PT in her building, Terri Dinkelaker, PT, DPT and the MD teachers in their Building. Denise has also worked closely with the Kindergarten teachers in her building to develop a Tier 2 intervention group that is run by the building staff with programs developed by previous Capstone students and adapted for additional grade levels at the Elementary School she serves.
Denise Campbell -
MSOTR/L
Jason Long
Dr. Jason Long has 20+ years’ experience in motion analysis and biomechanical modeling, focusing on the assessment of lower extremity kinematics and kinetics during ambulation. He is Director of the Motion Analysis Lab at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery. He earned his PhD in biomedical engineering (biomechanics) from Marquette University in 2008. His past research has focused on perturbations in gait associated with lower limb disorders, with a focus on cerebral palsy and foot/ankle pathology. More recently, he has employed motion analysis techniques in assessing running performance and injury risk in adolescent runners.
Dr. Long is a past president of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Commission for Motion Laboratory Accreditation, as well as the Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC)
Research Advisory Board.
Jason Long,
Ph.D.
Missy Anthony
Melissa Anthony MPA, is the Executive Director of the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board. She has nearly 20 years’ experience working in and around state government, including the Office of the Governor and the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives on health and services policy. She also served as the Deputy Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction.
Missy Anthony,
Exec. Director, OTPTAT Board
Amanda Smith
Amanda Smith holds a master’s degree in occupational therapy and has 2 years of experience working within a school-based setting. Although Amanda is relatively new to this setting, she has worked in the healthcare field for 11 years and has always placed a strong focus on providing interdisciplinary care. Amanda has quickly begun
attempting to engage with multiple disciplines in her school setting to create goals that will not only help students with their motor skills, but with how to apply those skills within the school environment. Amanda provides services both physically within the school setting and via the telehealth service delivery platform.
Amanda Smith,
MOT, OTR/L
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Cheryl VanHoose
Cheryl VanHoose, MHS, PT is presently the OT/PT Director for a group of seventy (plus) occupational and physical therapists at Miami Valley Regional Center/ Montgomery County Education Services Center in Dayton, Ohio. She has been a physical therapist for over 30 years working primarily in the pediatric arena. She has been involved in school based practice for 30 years and has been active in the OPTA’s Pediatric Special Interest Group. Cheryl has been the OPTA representative for the Ohio Department of Education’s Steering Committee for Caseloads and Ratios and for the Ohio Medicaid School’s Program (OMSP) Stakeholder Committee. She presently serves as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Dayton’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and has been an adjunct faculty member for Andrews University and the University of Findlay. She originally obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from West Virginia University. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Indianapolis and her Ohio Educational Administrators License through Wright State University.
Cheryl VanHoose,
PT, MHS
Nichole Dearth
Nichole is an occupational therapist practicing for over ten years primarily in rural school based practice where she is currently employed full time serving children aged 3 to 22. This is also her ninth year serving as adjunct faculty at Rhodes State College where she has been lead instructor for the pediatric intervention course as well as assisting with other content areas. She graduated from The University of Findlay with her masters in Occupational Therapy in 2010 and this is her first term on the Ohio OTPTAT board.
Nichole Dearth,
MOT, OTR/L
Mark Smith
Mark H. Smith MPA, BA, QIDP, CPM, Agency Lead, Medicaid in Schools Program, Ohio Department of Education, is currently an administrator with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), serving as the agency's Medicaid lead. Mark also currently serves on the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education's Board of Directors and has served as NAME's Past President. Mark also serves on the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, the Ohio Association of School Health Services, and the National Healthy Students Promising Futures Collaborative as a founding member.
In his work, Mark has presented nationally on topics related to school-based health, data sharing between education and health arenas, parental consent, HCBS waivers, intellectual disabilities program design, electronic signatures protocol, and tele-practice service delivery. Mark has over 27 years of experience in public health/Medicaid policy, and has presented and collaborated directly with USDOE and the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Mark Smith
MPA, BA, QIDP, CPM, ODE
Matt Elliot
Matt Elliott is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, who has worked at the Perlman Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for over 10 years. The Perlman Center is a specialty assistive technology center and part of the CP Program at CCHMC, serving primarily patients with CP and other complex conditions. Matt works primarily with toddler and school age children with CP, many of whom also have a diagnosis of CVI. He has extensive experience implementing CVI strategies in treatment, and completing trials and trainings on many assistive technologies (AT) and AAC devices with his patients as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Matthew Elliot,
COTA/L
Terri Dinkelaker
Terri Dinkelaker, BS in PT at St. Louis University in 1993 and received a Doctorate in PT from the University of South Dakota as part of their transitional DPT program in 2018. She has practiced at Good Samaritan Hospital (acute care, rehab, NICU, developmental follow up program, outpatient pediatrics), Kettering Hospital (adult acute care), Nursing home practice, Home care provider, Pediatric inpatient, outpatient, and hippo therapy provider in Indiana for Children’s Specialty Hospital, inpatient and outpatient pediatric provider at CCHMC during her career as a PT. Terri has been practicing as a School-Based PT for the past 16 years and as a PT for the past 29 years. Terri has worked with students ranging from the preschool to high school aged students (aged 3 up to 22 years of age) during her practice as a school-based PT. She has experience working with students with a variety of diagnosis/abilities ranging from Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome, Specific Learning Disabilities, and additional complex medical diagnoses. Terri has experience with selecting and implementing appropriate activities and strategies based on a student’s ability level that will help them achieve their greatest potential within limits of their mental and physical capabilities. She also has extensive experience using Adaptive Equipment, Visual Contracts, Visual Countdowns, and Picture Communication Systems with students who have limited verbal abilities and has been named an A-List Therapist by the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (MCESC) Autism and Low-Incidence Coaching Team. Terri has had experience with students shadowing, providing training to staff and students, and working collaboratively with educators and administrators to meet student’s needs and educate students and team members to maximize success.
Terri Dinkelaker -
PT, DPT
Melissa Mortensen
Melissa Mortensen holds a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy, is currently licensed in Ohio and Arizona and has 14 years of experience working in the school based setting. She is the owner/operator of Integrative Therapy Services, LLC and currently provides contract school telehealth services. Katie Rathers holds a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy and has 10 years of experience working with students, families and educators in K-12 school-based practice settings. She began providing telehealth services full-time starting in March, 2020 through April, 2021 and has continued to utilize telehealth delivery platforms on an as needed basis to ensure consistent access to student support services and to enhance team collaboration.
Melissa Mortensen -
MS, OTR/L
Amy Pratt
Amy Pratt is a Physical Therapist at the Miami Valley Regional Center in Dayton, and has over 20 years of experience in the school based setting. Amy has worked with children ages 2-22, and is mom to adventurous and active 12 & 18 year old boys. Her undergraduate work was in Exercise Physiology at The Ohio State University, with an internship in Sports Performance Enhancement. Later, Amy obtained a Master’s in Physical Therapy from Andrews University. Amy has a special interest in working collaboratively with Occupational Therapists and teachers to provide motor RTI for K/1 students, utilizing the motor labs and motor mazes she has created in her buildings. Other areas of interest include: integrating motor activities into the classroom, assistive technology and early mobility, Animal Assisted Therapy, and bracing and orthotics. Amy is an APTA credentialed clinical instructor, has served on Edison State’s PTA program advisory board and as adjunct faculty at the University of Dayton.
Amy Pratt,
PT
Amy Schlessman
Amy Schlessman is a school based physical therapist in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also conducts workshops for teachers, parents, and therapists on topics such as health promotion and prevention and accessing/applying evidence-based practice, utilization of tests and measures using the ICF model, and emergency management planning for individuals with disabilities, and a variety of topics around special education. Amy serves as a core faculty member for the Tufts Doctor of Physical Therapy Program -Phoenix, Arizona. She has been practicing physical therapy since 2002. She has over 20 years of clinical practice experience in pediatrics and nine years of clinical practice experience with adults in home health, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation centers. She has taught in higher education since 2005 with extensive experience teaching in online and hybrid formats. Prior to joining Tufts, she also served as a faculty liaison in a Center for Teaching Excellence, supporting and training full-time and part-time faculty in best practices in teaching. Her research is focused on pediatric health promotion and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Her scholarship includes over 60 professional presentations at national, state, and regional conferences, and over 100 invited speaker presentations. She serves the APTAs Academy of Pediatric Physical as a member of the Communications, Membership, and Public Relations Leadership Committee, and is the Ohio Pediatric Advocacy liaison. She continues to practice clinically in the school-based setting and teach professional development.
Amy Schlessman,
PT, DPT, DHSc
Brittany Arhin
Brittany Arhin, MS, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist with 11 years of experience at Cincinnati
Children’s Hospital. She works in a developmental outpatient clinic serving patients ages birth – 22 with
a wide range of developmental diagnoses including autism, sensory processing disorder, feeding
difficulties, and fine motor delays. Brittany is a member of the Division of Occupational and Physical
Therapy’s autism clinical practice team, a team focused on improving practice related to neurodiversity,
co-treatments and the autism intensive program. She also runs the sensory and autism intensive programs
at the Cincinnati Children’s Northern Kentucky outpatient clinic.
Brittany Arhin,
MS, OTD, OTR/L
Jacki Renegado
Jackie Renegado is the Supervisor of the Social Emotional Learning Consultants for the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (MCESC) in Dayton, Ohio. She uses her knowledge as a licensed and registered occupational therapist to support school districts and community organizations in addressing the development of the Whole Child, including creating trauma-informed and social-emotional integrated systems. Jackie also holds a master’s degree in Trauma Informed Education. She is a trainer of the Neurosequential Model in Education through the Neurosequential Network and also a trainer in Restorative Practices through the IIRP. Jackie has had the honor of presenting at several national and
state conferences.
Jackie Renegado -
OTR/L M.Ed
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Amanda Deeter
Amanda Deeter is a Social Emotional Learning Specialist at Montgomery County Educational Service Center in Dayton, Ohio. Currently she provides professional development on a range of topics related to creating Trauma Informed/SEL Integrated learning environments, coaches administrators/staff on integrating SEL/TI practices and work on SEL curriculum development. Amanda is also a Professional Clinical Counselor specializing with children and adolescents. Throughout her career she has worked with children in both the clinical setting and the school setting, providing therapy, education, collaboration with educators, administrators, Juvenile Court and Children’s Services.