CATHERINE HOYT, OTD, OTR/L

Dr. Hoyt graduated with honors with her doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis Program in Occupational Therapy in 2010 and currently works full time for the program. Catherine has been working with children with special needs for many years and has had experience working with a wide variety of diagnoses including cerebral palsy, autism, Down Syndrome, PDD, hemiplegia, traumatic brain injury, sensory processing dysfunction, fine motor deficits, developmental delay and sickle cell disease. Dr. Hoyt received her B.S. in Natural and Social Sciences with a secondary emphasis in Spanish from Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. She is certified in Therapeutic Listening® through Vital Links and has taken the K-5th grade course in Handwriting Without Tears®, a course in feeding by Talk Tools® and is a certified Parent Educator with Parents As Teachers®. Catherine has had poster and/or oral presentations at local, national and international conferences for Occupational Therapy in pediatrics and recently completed the Emerging Leaders Development Program through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She also teaches medical Spanish to graduate students in Occupational Therapy and assists with an annual service learning experience in Guatemala.

ZOE MAILLOUX, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Dr. Zoe Mailloux is nationally and internationally recognized within the profession of occupational therapy in the area of sensory integration theory and practice. Zoe has participated in test development and clinical research related to sensory integrative dysfunction and autism, and she was a research assistant to Dr. A. Jean Ayres from 1978 to 1984, during which time she was involved in many clinical and research projects with Dr. Ayres. Zoe was a founding Executive Director of Pediatric Therapy Network, a non-profit children’s therapy center in Southern California. Currently, she teaches for the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Occupational Therapy OTD program and for the USC/WPS SI Certification Program. In addition, she has published numerous journal articles and textbook chapters on these topics. Zoe has received a number of professional awards, including being named a fellow of AOTA in 1993. She also received an award of excellence from the Autism Research Foundation, the Wilma West Lectureship at the University of Southern California, and the A. Jean Ayres Award and the Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Zoe is interested in innovative practice that will enhance life satisfaction in new and effective ways for children and their families.

JOYCE S. PEET

Joyce Peet has a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. Since 1999 she has owned Therapy Connections, an outpatient clinic offering OT, PT and speech therapy services. The clinic provides 180–200 treatment sessions per week. From 1999–2012, Joyce founded and directed Camp Silver Lake, a day camp for children with special needs. She is the clinical instructor to Level 2 OT and OTA students from five universities. She is a member of AOTA, OOTA, SPD Foundation and Ambucs (named Ambucs Therapist of the Year 2005).

SUSANNE SMITH ROLEY, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Susanne Smith Roley OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an occupational therapist with over 30 years of experience in pediatrics. She obtained her BS in OT at Indiana University, her MS in Allied Health Sciences at Boston University and her OTD at University of Southern California. Susanne is on staff at the University of Southern California, Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy as the Project Director for the Sensory Integration Certification Program sponsored by USC/WPS, and is in private practice in Orange County in Southern California. She is a past chair of the Commission on Practice and the Sensory Integration Special Interest Section for AOTA, and a contributing author of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2002 and 2nd Edition. She is an internationally recognized author and lecturer on the theory and application of sensory integration. She is co-editor of the books, Understanding the Nature of Sensory Integration with Diverse Populations and Sensory Integration: Applying Clinical Reasoning to Diverse Populations. She is a fellow of the AOTA and recipient of the AOTF Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence and the AOTF A. Jean Ayres Award.

SARAH SAWYER

Ms. Sawyer is the Clinical Director at OTA The Koomar Center and is responsible for overseeing all therapeutic activities. She has extensive clinical experience working with children and families. Ms. Sawyer began her career in the United Kingdom working with children, adolescents and adults with Sensory Processing Dysfunction (SPD) across home, school and clinic-based settings. In 2003 Ms. Sawyer was awarded the Elizabeth Casson Trust Scholarship from Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK, to attend Tufts University to complete her post-professional masters. Her thesis focused on therapists' clinical reasoning. Ms. Sawyer has broad experience evaluating and treating individuals with SPD and has specialized training in Listening Therapies, Trauma and Visual Vestibular difficulties. She has a particular interest in working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum and has specialized training in DIR® Floortime Approach. As well as overseeing the day-to-day running of the clinic, Ms. Sawyer regularly trains and presents to educational facilities and other professionals, broadening understanding of Sensory Processing Dysfunction and Sensory Integration Therapy.

CAROLYN MURRAY-SLUTSKY, MS OTR, C/NDT

Carolyn Murray-Slutsky, MS OTR, C/NDT, is director of Rehabilitation for Children, Inc., a pediatric private practice. She co-founded M P Rehabilitative Services, a pediatric private practice that specialized in outpatient, home and school-based therapy in Florida. This multi-clinic private practice was sold to a national corporation. Carolyn received her undergraduate degree in special education from Ohio University, with advanced training for emotional and behavioral difficulties, and her master's degree in occupational therapy from Boston University. Carolyn is certified in sensory integration (SI) and neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) for pediatrics, infants and adults. She has used her advanced training and experience in sensory integration, her expertise in hands-on NDT strategies, knowledge in positive behavioral interventions, and her skills as an occupational therapist to educate and coach therapists, teachers and other professionals on strategies to help children thrive. She is an accomplished clinician, author and educator, publishing many journal articles and books, presenting workshops nationally and internationally, teaching on-line courses as an adjunct professor, serving as an ongoing course instructor for the Sensory Integration Network of the UK, and having served as a plenary speaker for the World Congress of Sensory Integration in Cape Town South Africa. Her educational endeavors are completed through STAR Services (State of The Art Resource Services) of which she is co-owner. Carolyn is on the Board of Directors for Sleep’n Sync (a revolutionary treatment strategy to help children) and on the Advisory Board for Southpaw Enterprises. She has co-authored the following:

• Autism Interventions: Exploring the Spectrum of Autism, 2nd Edition (In Press).
• Is it Sensory or is it Behavior— Behavior Problem Identification, Analysis and Intervention.
• Exploring the Spectrum of Autism and PDD—Intervention Strategies, a textbook for clinicians, parents, teachers and other professionals. This book provides practical holistic intervention strategies.
• Developing Visual Motor Integration. A workbook of easy-to-use, reusable worksheets to systematically build skills. Activities build visual spatial perception, perceptual organization, eye-hand coordination, problem solving, motor planning and fine motor control.
• Sensory Modulation Laminated Card Series: Sensory Seeking, Sensory Avoiding, Passive Under Responsive & Positive Behavioral Strategies Cards—A laminated card series addressing practical solutions to regulatory issues.
• Sleep’n Sync Products.

DEBORAH A. WHITCOMB, MBA, MS, OTR/L

Deb Whitcomb holds degrees from Quinnipiac University and Boston University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Nova Southeastern University. She has served as an adjunct faculty member for Xavier's graduate program in occupational therapy and currently is a member of its Advisory Board. In 2012 the Journal of Occupational Science published her peer-reviewed article, Attachment, Occupation, and Identity: Considerations in Infancy. Deb owns the Cincinnati Occupational Therapy Institute (COTI), a large pediatric practice that specializes in sensory integration. She is a founder of the Cincinnati Occupational Therapy Foundation (COTF). Her leadership at COTF was recognized by an AOTF/Patterson Foundation Award for Volunteerism at the AOTA's annual conference in Philadelphia in 2011. Deb is also the co-founder of Connections For Life, a multi-agency collaborative designed to help young children who have experienced complex trauma. Deb chairs the Cincinnati District of the OOTA.