Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pediatric Occupational Therapy?

Adults have occupations like jobs and careers. For children and young adults, their "occupations" are the essential activities of daily life: playing, learning, making friends, eating, dressing, and managing their emotions.

Pediatric occupational therapy helps kids build the foundational motor, sensory, cognitive, and social skills they need to navigate their world successfully. If a child is struggling to participate in daily routines or feel confident in their environments, OT helps bridge that gap by building skills and adapting the environment to set them up for success.

How do I know if my child needs Occupational Therapy?

Every child develops at their own unique pace, but you might consider an OT evaluation if you notice your child consistently struggling with:

Daily Routines: Difficulty with dressing, buttons/zippers, using utensils, or expanding their food choices (extremely selective eating).
Motor Skills: Clumsiness, frequently falling, difficulty catching a ball, or trouble with fine motor tasks like drawing, cutting with scissors, and handwriting.
Sensory Processing: Being overly sensitive or completely indifferent to loud noises, clothing textures, tags, bright lights, or messy play.
Focus & Regulation: Having a hard time sitting still, melting down frequently during transitions, or struggling to calm their body down after high-energy activities.
Social & Play Skills: Difficulty joining in with peers, understanding personal space, or exploring varied ways of playing with toys.

What age group do you work with?

I specialize in supporting children and young adults across the pediatric spectrum, specifically from ages 5 to 22. This allows me to help families navigate major life transitions, from early elementary school routines right up through high school, college prep, and independent young adult life skills.

What does a typical therapy session look like?

To a child, it looks and feels like dedicated, high-energy play! Kids learn best when they are fully engaged and having fun. Behind the scenes, however, every single activity is deeply intentional.

A session might involve an obstacle course to build balance and motor planning, rhythmic movement to support nervous system regulation, or a targeted game to improve fine motor precision or executive functioning. I design sessions to blend balance, rhythm, and play, keeping therapy highly engaging while directly targeting your child's functional goals.

What is your therapeutic approach?

I practice from a neuro-affirming and strengths-based perspective. This means I do not view differences as deficits that need to be "fixed" or forced into compliance. Instead, I honor and respect each individual’s unique way of experiencing the world.

My focus is on identifying what your child is naturally good at, understanding the root cause of their challenges, and building real-world functional independence. We work with their unique wiring, never against it, to help them feel confident, capable, and proud of who they are.

Do you accept insurance?

At this time, Independence Lab is not in network with any insurance providers, and I operate as an out-of-network provider. This means I do not bill insurance companies directly. Payment is due in full at the time of each session, and I accept all major credit cards.

However, many health insurance plans (especially PPO plans) offer out-of-network benefits that may reimburse you for a significant portion of my services. To help you access these benefits, I offer a monthly medical document called a superbill.

Can I use my HSA or FSA?

Yes! Since occupational therapy is an eligible medical expense, you can use your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) card to pay for evaluation and treatment sessions directly.

Do I need a physician's referral?

While Massachusetts allows for "direct access" (meaning you can access and begin occupational therapy without a formal doctor's note), your insurance company may still require a physician's referral or prescription in order to approve an out-of-network reimbursement claim. I highly recommend asking your child's pediatrician for a standard OT referral before our first session to ensure your claims go smoothly.