Sensational Stories

We have been so fortunate to find Dr. Dana to evaluate our 14 year old son in 2022. He received early intervention services at 3-5 years but then transitioned out. As he progressed through elementary and middles school we knew something was off, but no one picked up on it and he slipped through the cracks. That is until Dr. Dana saw him. His sensory issues remained, he was failing everything and he was having great difficulty navigating the school day. I knew I had to find a physical therapist with sensory expertise in order to get him correctly evaluated.

Dr. Dana was the most knowledgeable and talented expert that we had the great fortune of meeting. To say Dr. Dana goes above and beyond would be an understatement. She immediately connected with our son to make him feel very comfortable during testing. The evaluation was unbelievably comprehensive and thorough: she evaluated sensory processing throughout the complete spectrum of sensory systems, coordination, motor performance, strength, and many other assessments for extensibility, posture, and pain.

Throughout the entire evaluation, you could see Dr. Dana was fully invested in figuring out our son’s issues. If there was an extra test to determine difficulty in an unusual area, she did not hesitate to do it. Dr. Dana is not a practitioner who watches her clock; our evaluation was quite long since she wanted to do many additional tests. Her diagnosis and recommendations helped us obtain an IEP for our son.

We cannot thank Dr. Dana enough for being so caring and sharing her amazing gifts as a physical therapist. We now have a diagnosis and a direction on how to treat our son. She is truly one in a million!

~ DG

Dana has been an incredible help for our son over the year that they’ve worked together. Over this short period of time, she’s given him a new sense of confidence and core strength that has helped his sensory issues tremendously. Her background and training make her especially sensitive to the sensory side of PT: this is exactly what he needed. Rather than go through a predetermined series of exercises, she got to know Joshua as a complete child and gave him what he needed to improve. It really helped him and us as a family!

~ Jonathan

We are so incredibly lucky to have found Sensory Jim & Friends and Dana. Our son was initially diagnosed with an extremely weak core and we contacted Dana to help with him twice a week for PT. We are so fortunate that Dana was also trained and certified in sensory integration. At the time, we’d never even heard of Sensory issues. Once she started work with our son, Dana quickly alerted us to the fact that he had sensory issues – everything from reacting to loud noises, to a fear of being unbalanced or out of bodily control.

Dana began training to address his core but also to work through his sensory issues. The progress that our son made over the 2 years was nothing short of amazing. Dana’s demeanor and ability to connect with children had our typically stubborn child willingly working hard to better himself and to overcome his challenges. He loved working with Dana – it was fun, challenging and rewarding for him.

Dana would also reach out to talk through goals, progress and discuss how we could continue to progress the program. Based on those goals, our son has achieved some amazing things – everything from swimming to biking to playing hockey.

Another huge benefit of working with Dana was that she also recognized that our son had some OT issues – she introduced us to a wonderful OT. The OT partnered with Dana on the comprehensive PT, OT and sensory program. The team of Dana and the OT worked very well and because they worked together, we are convinced that our son’s progress was immensely enhanced.

We are forever grateful for the work Dana did with our son. He still to this day talks about her – asking how she is, wanting to share his achievements with her. We highly recommend Dana and her unique approach of PT/Sensory integration for anyone who thinks their child might benefit.

~ Josh

Dana is an outstanding physical therapist. She began working with my son when he was 3.5 years old and worked with him for 1.5 years. He was dealing with sensory challenges as well as toe walking and low muscle tone. She catered the sessions to his needs, addressing his various concerns in ways that were fun for him. She also spent a lot of time and effort on parental education.

Dana served as a great support while I, as a parent, was concerned for my child. In addition to Dana’s extensive knowledge, experience and capability as a PT, the way she interacts with her clients is what makes her stand out. She relates to children and their parents in a way that is calming and enjoyable.

I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a qualified, professional, and caring PT.

~ Tayla

Dana is an amazing physical therapist! Not only is she tremendously knowledgeable, and always adding new methods and research into her work, but her beside manner with kids, and parents alike, is unparalleled.

If you are looking for a talented, kind, and effective physical therapist, snatch up a slot with Dana as soon as you can!

~ Natalie

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I was extremely lucky to find Dana to work with my son when he turned 3.5 years of age. My son used to have a very strong combative personality when working with therapist or evaluators, but he made an immediate connection with Dana.

When finding her, I didn’t just gain a physical therapist; I also gained a parent educator, a scientist, a sensory integration specialist, and an advocate for my son.

Dana is amazing! She was able to pin point what my son’s deficits were as a physical therapist. She not only diagnosed the gross motor deficits happening within my child, but she also took into account his sensory needs.

When she is looking at my child, she is looking at the whole package; how can I help him function in everyday society? There is a method to her craft. She built a map for my child, and slowly helped bring him where he was supposed to be. Throughout every session she cautiously pushes my son past his comfort levels.

He has grown leaps and bounds during his time with Dana. I never thought my child would be able to go to an amusement park, or be toilet trained, or ride a scooter/bike successfully. Nevertheless, he is there, and he is still striving for more.

With Dana, there is always more, always better! Dana is always humble about his gains and makes sure to point out that we all did it together, as a team, parent, child, and all of the therapists working with him. She is a kind, generous and loving person.

I am so happy we found her! Thank you Dana! I wish you could be our PT for life!

~ Arisel