Stephanie M. Foster MS, OTR/L, owner of Kid's Work of Santa Maria, CA

Stephanie M. Foster PhD, OTR/L

Stephanie has been working with families who have children with a variety of special needs since 1991. She has been certified in Sensory Integration since 1994.

Education: Stephanie received her B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University in 1988 followed by an intensive 10-month internship at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. In 1994, she completed a fellowship at Boston University on how to make school based services more efficient and effective as well as earned her M.S. in Pediatric Occupational Therapy. In 2011, Stephanie completed her PhD program at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute where she concentrated on Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology.

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Certification: Stephanie has been a registered Occupational Therapist since 1988 and was certified to provide Sensory Integration techniques in 1994. In January 2007, she received a certificate from Fielding Institute in Infant-Parent Mental Health.

Specialized Training: Sensory Integration (SIPT), Wilbarger Brushing/Deep Pressure Therapy, Therapeutic Listening (Introduction and Advance Training), Vision Therapy, and Biodynamic Cranial Sacral (click here to learn more about this fascinating form of therapy). She also received Service Coordinator training for California's Early Start Program.

Research Experience: While at Boston University, Stephanie conducted research on increasing the effectiveness of school based programs. More recently, she contributed to the development of the Sensory Profile (all three versions: infant, school-age, and adult), and School Function Assessment, 1997 - 2000. She also collected data for the latest version of the Bruinicks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the new Miller FUNction Scales, 2004 - 2005.

In 2011, Stephanie completed a large quantitative study entitled "The Relationship of Prenatal, Perinatal, and Developmental Risk Factors on Children's Sensory Processing Patterns" to look at several factors that make children more prone to developing SPD. We are hoping that this research will help lead therapists and psychologists further toward preventing SPDs.

International Experience: Stephanie participated in the People to People Ambassador's Program's professional and cultural exchange program with China in August, 2004. She has treated special needs children in Germany and Japan and has made several Medical Missions to Romanian orphanages.

Consultations: Stephanie served as a Consultant to South Carolina's Early Intervention Program from 1997 - 2000. The U.S. Navy selected Stephanie to serve as the Occupational Therapy Consultant for all Naval Occupational Therapists working in Japan from 1994 - 1997.

Licenses: She is licensed to practice Occupational Therapy in California since 2002 (licensure was not required by California prior to 2002). She has also held licenses and practiced in Texas, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.

For more information, please contact us at 805-264-1553 or info 'at' kidswork 'dot' biz
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