Play for Real Therapy welcomes Deb Bannon, MS, CCC-SLP, pediatric speech-language pathologist to our team!

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Deb Bannon, MS, CCC-SLP, pediatric speech-language pathologist to our team! We are particularly happy that she has joined us at this time as, in the last quarter of 2017, we said goodbye to Miss Meg and Miss Liz, who had both decided the time had come to enjoy a full retirement.

She relocated  from Rhode Island to Florida in September of 2017 to be closer to her family and is excited to be working for Play for Real.  She attended the University of Rhode Island for both her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her graduate degree in Communicative Disorders.  Deb has 26 years of experience evaluating and treating children aged birth to high school that present with a wide range of communication impairments.  Her professional career began in Early Intervention in January 1991 where she worked providing speech-language services for the birth to 3 year old population.  In September 1992, she obtained a job providing services in a small rural school district where she enjoyed her career for last 25 years.  Most of her professional career was spent with children in the early elementary grades (K-2) who had a variety of speech language needs.  Deb has a passion for  working with children of all ages with speech, language, and learning needs helping them to build the foundational skills necessary for being successful communicators across settings.  

Deb is licensed by the Florida Department of Health, has lifetime certification from the State of Rhode Island Department of Education, and has her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).  She recently earned the Award for Continuing Education (ACE) from ASHA and strives to be a lifelong learner in her professional career.  

Deb has been married to her husband, David, for 33 years and has raised three beautiful daughters, Kristen, Jenn and Amy,  who also have careers in the helping professions (look for Jenn on our occupational therapy staff page!).  In her spare time, Deb enjoys spending time with her family and her pets, Ellie and Reese.  She loves taking walks on the beach, boating, exploring new places and living vicariously through her children and their adventures!  

Holiday Closing Times

Play for Real will be closed on the following dates:

• Monday December 25, 2017
• Monday January 1, 2018

The Play for Real team wish you all a very happy holiday season and look forward to working with you in the new year!

Happy Holidays!

Play For Real Wishes You All A Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Play for Real Therapy Services will be closed on Thursday November 23rd and Friday November 24th to celebrate Thanksgiving. We are grateful for the privilege of working with our clients and families and to our dedicated staff! We will be open for business as usual on Monday November 27th.

Play for Real limited opening on Tuesday and open as usual from Wednesday

We hope you all weathered the storm safely and with minimal damage! Play for Real Therapy Services will be open with a limited staff on Tuesday, September 12 and may offer some sessions in the afternoon as clients and staff are available. We will be open as usual from Wednesday September 13. Once again we hope you all fared well and look forward to seeing you all again as things get back to normal.

Hurricane Irma

Play for Real Therapy Services will be closed Monday and Tuesday, September 11 and 12 while the storm passes over us. We tentatively plan to reopen on Wednesday September 13, assuming that we have electricity and there is no major damage to the clinic. If you have an appointment on Wednesday or Thursday and we have not contacted you, please call ahead to check we are open. We will try to keep you updated via the website and our voicemail.

We wish you all the best and please, stay safe!

Backpack Safety

Schools will soon be back in session and children wearing backpacks to and from school will be a familiar sight once more. But did you know that heavy backpacks can cause long-term health problems if worn incorrectly? Here are some backpack safety tips to help your child.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is so concerned about this problem that they created National School Backpack Awareness Day to help children Live Life To Its Fullest by avoiding the pain and injury that can come from heavy backpacks and bags. They recently released these backpack buying tips and urge parents and caregivers to consider the following when selecting a backpack this school year:

Backpack Shopping Tips

• Appropriate size. Make sure the height of the backpack extends from approximately 2 inches below the shoulder blades to waist level, or slightly above the waist.
• Shoulders. Backpacks should have well-padded shoulder straps that can be worn on both shoulders so when packed with books, the weight can be evenly balanced by the student.
• Hip belt. Backpacks with a hip or chest belt take some strain off sensitive neck and shoulder muscles and improve the student’s balance.
• Fit. Just as your child will try on clothes and shoes when back-to-school shopping, experts say it is important to try on backpacks, too. “The right fit should be your top criteria when selecting your child’s backpack,” says Karen Jacobs, EdD, OTR/L, CPE, clinical professor of occupational therapy at Boston University, and an expert on school ergonomics and healthy growth and development of school-age children. “If you order online, be sure that the seller has a return policy just in case the backpack is not quite the best fit for your child and needs to be exchanged.”

AOTA also recommends that, when school is back in session, check that your child’s backpack weighs no more than 10% of his or her body weight. If it weighs more, determine what supplies can stay at home or at school each day to lessen the load. If the backpack is still too heavy for the child, consider a book bag on wheels.

Here is a link to AOTA’s tips for backpack safety: 1, 2, 3’s of Basic Backpack Wearing,

Play for Real Therapy Services will be closed

for the 4th July

We wish you a very happy and safe celebration!

Play for Real Owners attend Research Mentorship at the Star Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in Denver

Lyn, Dr. Lucy Miller, Dr. Sarah Schoen and Peter at the Star Center for SPD in Denver

At the beginning of this month, it was our pleasure to spend a few days doing a research mentorship at the Star Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder in Denver. We were a small group, with ten other occupational therapists (OTs) who also shared an interest in research. The focus was on single subject research design with input from Lucy Miller, Sarah Schoen and Dr. Stephen Camarata (not pictured) from Vanderbilt University.  It was a packed itinerary and the energy was high, with a lot of stimulating discussion with our colleagues. We all learned a lot and came away with a commitment to complete a study on an aspect of sensory processing disorder over the next year.  We are happy that Lucy will be providing direct support as we plan, implement and complete our study. Lucy Miller’s goal is to get enough studies to be able to put together a book and perhaps include a chapter with studies involving DIRFloortime.

The Star Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder

Dr. Lucy Miller is a world-renowned occupational therapist and specialist on sensory processing disorder. She has written many books, including  Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder.  The Star Institute attracts clients from all over the world and, in their entrance lobby, they have a map of the world with many, many pushpins indicating all the places that their visitors have come from. While we were there, Lucy gave us a personal tour of the incredible research and treatment center. There are many specialized treatment areas including several sensory gyms, feeding therapy rooms and a treatment area specifically for older children and adults. Last but not least, they have an amazing sensory-based playground and garden. As clinic owners with dreams of our own, we were truly inspired!

Pediatric OT and SLP positions at Play for Real Therapy Services!

Play for Real is pleased to announce that we are expanding our services this year. As a result, we will have pediatric OT and SLP positions opening up as we grow. Initially these positions will be part-time and PRN, but full time positions may be available in the future. Although our focus is currently on OT and Speech services, we hope to include other disciplines at a later date.

Play for Real Therapy Services offers quality occupational therapy and speech-language therapy using a family centered and evidence-based approach. Our treatment models include DIRFloortime, sensory integration, the SOS (sequential-oral-sensory) approach to feeding, integrated listening (iLs) and pediatric massage.

If you are interested in joining out team, then please contact us using the form or phone number on the Contact Us page of the website. We look forward to discussing what you are looking for and finding out if we would be a good fit for each other.