Occupational Therapy
When most people hear the term occupational therapy (OT), they think of work and grownups, not kids. After all, kids don't have "occupations" ... or do they? For babies and toddlers, play is their job. As kids get older, play and school become their jobs. Teens and young adults very often do add jobs to school and play.
An illness, disorder or accident can interrupt your child's ability to play, study, work or simply do the little everyday things like brushing teeth or tying shoes. Fortunately, the occupational therapists at Cook Children's are here to help them achieve independence and develop the skills they need for living.
Cook Children's Health Care System provides a full spectrum of occupational therapy options, including inpatient, outpatient and home health care.
The goal of occupational therapy is to help children do their jobs. For kids, that means doing the everyday activities that "occupy" their lives, like:
- Play
- School
- Leisure
- Dressing
- Grooming
- Eating
- Mobility
- Rest
- Socializing
- Hand use
- Visual-motor skills
- Sensory processing
- Coordination
- Strength
- Balance
- Thinking abilities and cognitive skills
We believe that family is key to your child's therapy success. Knowing that therapy is a small portion of your child's daily life, we give the child and caregiver tools to promote independence and function at home, school and out in the community. We do this through a holistic approach, which means we look at the whole child, physically and psychologically, to help them achieve a healthy life balance.
When you choose Cook Children's Occupational Therapy Program, you know that you're getting people who really understand children. We focus on newborns all the way to young adulthood, and work to ensure that each patient we see receives the very best treatment and care to help them grow up as happy and healthy as possible. All of our therapists are certified in pediatric care, and they work one-on-one with the patient and the family to provide the treatment and support options that make the most sense for you.
Our occupational therapists are dedicated to the care patients with a wide variety of health issues. Some come to us for a short time, others require ongoing therapy. Our inpatient setting is designed to help our patients recover and transition home, and when necessary, to our outpatient care. Our outpatient clinics are located throughout the area to help ensure that, from infancy into young adulthood, our patients have access to therapy. From the simple to the complex, our therapists have extensive experience in evaluating and treating children with all kinds of functionality challenges. Our services include:
- Self-feeding and sensory-related feeding
- Fine motor skills
- Visual motor skills
- Sensory processes to support development
- Neonatal and infant therapy
- Splinting and positioning
- Training in daily living activities
- Upper body motion and strength training
Occupational therapy programs
The Occupational therapy team at Cook Children's offers a variety of programs designed to help your child be as independent as possible. Programs are designed to complement each other so your child may participate in one or more programs.
Our programs aren't just kid-friendly, they're kid only. That means we treat children from birth to young adulthood. We offer both inpatient and out patient care, often helping our patients transition from inpatient to outpatient.
There are many reasons a patient who is hospitalized may need occupational therapy. The Inpatient Occupational Therapy program here at Cook Children's Medical Center is designed to meet those needs and help improve overall growth, development and functional abilities of patients who are facing daily and long-term living challenges because of an illness, injury, disease or defect.
The goal of our therapists is to improve the skills they need to do everyday tasks at home, work, school and play. To do this, our pediatric therapists evaluate each child's needs, then work closely with the medical team and the family to create a plan that offers your child the best options for success.
We provide treatment services for newborn to young adult with many different diagnoses, including:
- Amputation
- Arthritis
- Autism
- Brain tumor
- Cerebral palsy
- Developmental delay
- Feeding disorders
- Hand deformities and injuries
- Motor skills
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visual and perception disorders
Without proper rehabilitation techniques to individualize the treatment for every client and family, these disorders can have lasting debilitating impairments on the client's physical, mental, and emotional state.
Our therapists have daily communication with the care team, including physicians, nurses, therapists, case managers and social workers to better achieve continuity of care while your child is at the Medical Center.
Your child's inpatient occupational therapy team will also work closely with you in the at-home needs of your child, including continuing care recommendations, to ease the transition from hospital to home. In many cases, this may mean that your child will require ongoing care through outpatient occupational therapy, as well as equipment from our Home Health team. Prior to your child's discharge from the Medical Center, we will help you with any referrals and treatments plans necessary to help your child continue on the path to mastering the skill they need.
When it comes to outpatient occupational therapy, the program at Cook Children's is nothing short of outstanding. If your child is in need of occupational therapy, you can trust that the care they receive is innovative, compassionate and most importantly—personalized. Every child receives a unique assessment of their current skills, an evaluation for their individual needs and goals, and treatment plan that truly optimizes their level of success.
OT Services typically include:
- Full evaluation (standardized testing, parent/caregiver interview, observation by the occupational therapist).
- Individualized treatment plan with goals created in collaboration from the caregiver and/or patient.
- Home activities and community resources.
- Recommendations, order/design and training for specialized equipment.
- On-going discussion of your child's progress and plans for discharge.
Cook Children's occupational therapy services provide several innovative programs such as:
- Hand Rehabilitation Services
Cook Children's Hand Rehabilitation therapists evaluate and treat traumatic injuries and conditions of the upper extremity (shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand). Therapists work closely with the referring hand surgeon or physician to provide comprehensive care to the patient. - Brachial Plexus Program
Occupational therapists provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment for brachial plexus injuries for infants and children.
Our occupational therapists work closely with physical and speech therapists to provide help improve a child's access to the environment. The occupational therapists role is to problem solve how the child may use the device.
Our team has extensive training and expertise in a wide variety of pediatric specialties, including:
- Acquired hand conditions
- Congenital hand conditions
- Development delays
- Neurological issues
- Orthopedic conditions
- Sensory processing disorders
Laurie Lamb, OT/MSCPM
Laurie Lamb, OT/MSCPM, is the operations manager for Rehabilitation Services. Her role is to support the rehabilitation services department through organization and oversite of centralized scheduling and authorization of all rehabilitation services as well as registration for our various rehab locations.
Before joining Cook Children's, Laurie worked for a number of years in administrative roles with various adult rehabilitation companies throughout the Metroplex. She has experience working with payer relations, utilization management, as well as program and business development for rehabilitation services. Laurie is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas where she received her undergraduate degree in occupational therapy and is currently registered and licensed as an occupational therapist in the state of Texas. She is also a graduate of Texas Tech University where her post-graduate degree focused on health care leadership and clinical practice management.
Caitlin Smith, MOT, OTR/L
Caitlin Smith, MOT, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist and has been with Cook Children's since 2018. She loves being able to serve children and their families, helping patients work towards gaining more independence in their daily tasks, and she is passionate about the role of occupational therapy in improving the quality of life of patients and their families.
Courtney Atkins, MOT, OTR/L, C/NDT
Courtney Atkins, joined Cook Children's in the summer of 2011 as an occupational therapist at our outpatient facility. Courtney transferred to the inpatient acute care unit here in Fort Worth early 2012. She completed her Masters of Occupational Therapy at Texas Women's University in 2008 and completed her first two and a half years at an inpatient adult neuro rehab in Arlington. She is certified in neuro developmental training and enjoys working with the complex neuro population. Since her time her at Cook Children's, she has facilitated our current standing occupational therapy cardiac intensive care protocol and occupational therapy early mobilization protocol for our extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) team. She takes a great interest in family-centered care and promoting intra-professional education and relationships.
Courtney and her husband, Alex, currently live in North Richland Hills with their 2-year-old son with plans for a growing family in the near future. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family and friends along with living an active healthy lifestyle. She enjoys shopping, her church family and beach vacations.
Jeffrey S. Armstrong, MS, OTR/L
Jeffrey S. Armstrong, MS, OTR/L, is the occupational therapy clinical coordinator and has been with Cook Children's since 2015. He has extensive pediatric experience and has always had a passion for working with children. One of the most rewarding parts of his role as Clinical Coordinator is mentoring clinicians; ultimately helping even more children and their families find enrichment through occupational therapy.
Jennifer M. Valenzuela, OTR, MOT
Jennifer M. Valenzuela, OTR, MOT, is an Occupational Therapist who has been at Cook Children's since 2019. Prior to joining the Cook Children's rehab team, she has worked in a variety of pediatric settings, each fulfilling the very reason she chose this career path: To positively impact the quality of life for children and their families, through the use of meaningful occupations.
Laura Stone, MOT, OTR/L
Laura Stone, MOT, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist working at Cook Children's since 2017. She has always had a passion for working with children, and prior to becoming an OT was an elementary school teacher. One of the most rewarding parts of her role is helping children learn, grow, and gain independence through Occupational Therapy.
Mary Mercer, OTR
Mary Mercer, OTR, is an occupational therapist and has been with Cook Children's since 2001. She has extensive experience in treating pediatric clients with several subspecialty areas of interest and study including sensory integration and feeding.
Maria King, OTR/L
Maria King, OTR/L, is an acute care occupational therapist (OT) who has been with Cook Children's since 2021. She received her Master of Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman's University in Dallas. She has been an OT since 2019, with experience in the acute care and outpatient settings. Maria has a passion for empowering children and their families to restore optimal participation in daily life activities.
Hannah Labansat, OTR/L
Hannah Labansat, OTR/L is the inpatient clinical coordinator for occupational therapy and has been with Cook Children’s since 2019. She received her Master of Occupational Therapy from Boston University in 2017, and prior to joining the Cook rehab team worked in inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient pediatric settings. Hannah is passionate about ensuring that children and their families receive quality care that helps promote their growth, development, and ability to participate in the activities and roles that are meaningful to them. As clinical coordinator she enjoys being a mentor and advocate to help build up a program that shows the distinct value OT can bring in helping children live life to the fullest!
Dakota Abernathy, OTR/L
Dakota Abernathy, OTR/L, is an acute care occupational therapist who has been with Cook Children’s since 2022. Dakota received his Master of Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University in Dallas and has been a practicing OT since 2019. He has experience in pediatric acute care and home health settings with a passion for supporting and educating families and caregivers, collaborating within interdisciplinary teams and empowering children by building upon their strengths and resiliency, to optimize their engagement in meaningful daily activities.
Amy Garrow, OTR
Amy Garrow, OTR, is an occupational therapist and acute care rehabilitation manager who has been with Cook Children's since 2022. Amy has worked in hospital based acute care settings for most of her career. She has been in therapy leadership for over a decade, with pediatric care as a specialty. Amy strives to grow rehab teams that work collaboratively to provide excellent family centered care. She holds certifications in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Neonatal Massage and pediatric Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT).
Kelly Neville, OTR/L
Kelly Neville, OTR/L, is an acute care occupational therapist who has been with Cook Children's since 2022. Kelly received her Masters of Occupational Therapy from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas and has been a practicing Occupational Therapist since 2018. Kelly has experience in the NICU setting, outpatient pediatrics and the acute inpatient setting. Kelly's passions and goals include motivating and encouraging children and their families to live life to the fullest by focusing on their strengths to promote meaningful engagement in everyday activities.
Krista Howard, OTD, OTR/L
Krista Howard, OTD, OTR/L, is an acute care occupational therapist who joined the Cook Children’s rehabilitation team in 2023. She attended Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas, where she received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy. Krista has a passion for empowering her patients and their families through engagement in meaningful and purposeful activities to promote optimal occupational participation, performance, and quality of life.
Sara Suarez, OTR/L
Sara Suarez, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist who has been at Cook Children's since 2023. Prior to joining the Cook Children's Rehab team, she worked in a private practice setting helping children and families achieve functional independence. One of her favorite things about Occupational Therapy is to improve the health and wellness of the individual through meaningful and fun activities.
Taryn Stratton, OTR/L
Taryn Stratton, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist who has been with Cook Children's since 2024. She attended Texas Woman's University and received her Masters of Occupational Therapy and has been practicing since 2021. Before coming to Cook, she practiced at an outpatient pediatric clinic in Frisco, focusing on self-care skills, sensory integration, feeding, and developing fine motor skills. One of her favorite things about being an occupational therapist is working with kids and families to help them achieve their goals in meaningful and creative ways. Taryn focuses on patient and family-centered care that is fun, educational, and interactive for the whole family to increase independence in the patient's daily activities.
Denise Montes, OTR/L
Denise Montes, OTR/L, has been with the Cook Children's system since 2016 as an Occupational Therapist (OT). She has practiced primarily in the Acute Care Rehab setting as an OT, previously as an OT Coordinator; however has also served with the Cook Children's Health Plan as a Utilization Management Reviewer. Before working at Cook Children's, also worked in the pediatric outpatient setting. Her passion is pediatric settings and enjoys treating not only the child, but also engaging with the family in reaching the family goals for their children.
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Collaboration
Because we work with inpatients and outpatients across all kinds of ailments, disorders, injuries and mental and emotional challenges, collaboration is critical to each child's success. We work with every specialty and customize your child's therapy to meet his or her needs. We also work closely with your child's pediatrician and you to ensure that everyone on the care team is working toward the same goals. This unified team approach optimizes your child's ability to do the everyday things that make life a little simpler.
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If your child has been recommended to us, you probably have lots of questions. We can help. If you would like to schedule an appointment, refer a patient or speak to our staff, please call our offices at 682-885-4063.
Consumer information notice
With the increased utilization of telehealth, home visits, and other non-traditional modes for the provision of physical therapy services, we want patient families to be able to have direct access to check our Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiner's license verification. Please use the following web address if you have questions: https://www.ptot.texas.gov/page/look-up-a-license.
