Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy Services:
Sensory Regulation
When children have sensory processing issues, an Occupational Therapist supports the child and family by working to develop an understanding of the needs of the child. Everyone is different; learning the strategies to help a child will allow them to be successful.
Fine Motor
Working on the small muscles of the hands and fingers, with the eyes. These skills help to enable us write, grasp small objects or fasten up clothing! As an Occupational Therapist we can support your child to learn skills to help with crafts, writing letters/numbers and engaging within the classroom with confidence!
Picky Eating
Eating can add so much extra stress within a family. We are here to support you with the STEPS+ process by Katja Rowell and Jenny McGlothlin, as well as the SOS feeding protocol! This has allowed us to be well rounded and look at the situation with what is function in your family dynamic!
Self-Care
Are there tasks that you do with your child daily that you would like them to start doing independently? This may be things such as potty training, dressing, brushing their teeth or eating. Having an Occupational Therapist support your child in this can help them build the skills through tips and tricks allowing them to feel great doing these tasks every day!
Our Occupational Therapists:
Teanna Matchett
Teanna is our lead occupational therapist and owner of Ascend Pediatrics. She has always loved being on the go and going onto the next challenge! Her love of working with families and children came about during her community pediatric placement at Inn from the Cold, a family homeless shelter in Calgary, Alberta.
She loves to look at the big picture and ensuring we are taking a team approach to meet the full needs of the family! Teanna has specialized training within picky eating, and loves to work within sensory processing, self-care, mental health and emotional regulation skills. When supporting kids in these areas, she loves to dive into the process and build strong function skills and build confidence within themselves. Teanna has worked with many different families and disabilities over the years, making her experience diverse!
On her time off, Teanna is often spending time with her two dogs - Levy & Lexy! She can be found with friends and family enjoying the outdoors, either hiking, sitting on the patio, or on those cold Alberta days enjoying a good Netflix binge!
Erin Thorson
With a strong passion for play, positivity and a client-centred therapy, Erin is a great pediatric occupational therapist! Throughout her occupational therapy degree, she completed multiple pediatric placements at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and with Teanna at her previous company Journey OT. Erin experienced the enormous impact that occupational therapy services can have on children and their families through these placements.
Erin is interested in play-based therapy and using creative methods to help children gain independence and reach their goals. She has a strong desire to help children develop fine motor, self-care, social and regulation skills that will help them flourish in their daily lives. The opportunity to empower children and their families through simple tasks of everyday life is what inspires her to work in pediatrics.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking and playing with her family’s dog!
Élise Bélanger
Elise has a chill and silly vibe that resonates with children and their families. She believes strongly in children’s agency and strives to provide choice and foster respect with the individuals she works with. Elise is interested in supporting families with their goals and aims to promote confidence in the children she works with while building self-care, fine motor, and emotional regulation skills.
When off the clock, Elise can be found cooking up a storm, riding around on her bicycle or in a canoe.
Kara Dobovich
Kara always loved working with children and in becoming a pediatric occupational therapist she feels fulfilled within her work! She applied to Occupational Therapy school with a desire to work with children and despite many great experiences in other fields, her desire was confirmed when she completed her final clinical school placement at Ascend. She enjoyed it so much, she didn’t want to leave!
She has a calm and relaxed, yet fun-loving personality that enables her to make great connections with the children she works with. Kara loves to support children in developing skills and strategies in a variety of areas including social skills, emotional regulation, self-care and sensory processing. She recognizes the importance of a family-centered approach and always strives to make therapy fun!
Apart from working with children, Kara enjoys living an active lifestyle. You can frequently find her in the mountains hiking, biking, or skiing. Off the mountain, she enjoys walks with her dog, getting in a good workout and spending quality time with family and friends.
Kaitlyn Van Bakel
Kaitlyn recently completed her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta. During her time as a student, Kaitlyn completed a practicum at Ascend Pediatrics, where she learned about the importance of play-based and family-centered therapy. Kaitlyn is passionate about supporting children and their families with sensory and emotional regulation needs, self-care tasks, social skills and community engagement.
Prior to completing her OT degree, Kaitlyn completed concurrent undergraduate degrees in natural sciences and education at the University of Calgary. During her time as a teacher, Kaitlyn enjoyed fostering an inclusive classroom and supporting kiddos with diverse learning needs.
In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys puzzling, playing on intramural sports teams, and working with Special Olympics athletes.