TEAM

Katie Shaffer, OTR/L — Clinical Director/Owner
Katie has a passion for helping children overcome life’s challenges! Katie received her Bachelor of Health Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has over 14 years experience in the field of Pediatric Occupational Therapy with expertise in Early Childhood Intervention, oral sensory/motor feeding difficulties, Autism, and Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Katie has worked in a variety of therapeutic settings including inpatient/NICU, outpatient, home & school-based environments. She has been involved with Handwriting, Feeding Aversion, and Sensory Diet program development while practicing in Southern California for over 6 years. She has received post-graduate certification for the administration & interpretation of the Sensory Integration & Praxis Test, including therapeutic intervention programs using Sensory Integration Techniques. Katie has specialty certification and training in the following areas:

• Advanced Training in the assessment and treatment of Sensory Integration Disorders, Behavior Disorders, self-regulation, attention, praxis, and other child-centered, relationship-based therapeutic interventions. SIPT Certification #1216
• Clinical Instructor for Level 1 and 2 Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Students affiliated with UTMB-Galveston, UT Health Science Center-San Antonio, Texas Women's University-Denton
• Certified Interactive Metronome (IM) provider
• Advanced Training in Oral Motor and Oral Sensory Feeding Disorders
• Completion of Austin Eye Gym Level 1 and 2 certification course for Managing DevelopmentalVisual Deficits in Children
• Trained and Certified to administer the Therapeutic Listening Program, Vital Links provider # M4785
  
  Katie’s special interest areas include: Auditory Integration Therapy, Pediatric Yoga, Music Therapy, and Relationship Development Intervention for children on the Autistic Spectrum.

Cindy Martin, OTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Cindy Martin, OTR graduated from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1989. She has been a practicing OTR in Texas for nearly 21 years, working extensively in both adult and pediatric settings. She has a passion for children and improving their and their families’ lives and has been practicing with children exclusively since 2001. Cindy has expertise in acute care, trauma care, rehabilitation, psychiatric, outpatient and home health settings. She has extensive experience working with brain injury, feeding and developmental care in the Neonatal Intensive Care, splinting, infants and children with developmental delay and sensory processing difficulties. She was the Student Fieldwork Coordinator and a Clinical Instructor for several years at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, Texas. She loves supervising Occupational Therapy Student during their clinical rotations and helping new therapists enter the field fully ready to serve their clients. Cindy has a wonderful 16 year old son who wants to be a high school teacher. She loves to read, watch classic and contemporary movies, play out of doors and thoroughly enjoys living in Central Texas.

Summer Young, COTA/L — Occupational Therapist
Summer received her Associates of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy from Tulsa Community College in 2004. She has six years of experience working in the field of Pediatric Occupational Therapy with children and young adults 0-21. She has worked in a variety of settings including outpatient, private practice, home-based, early childhood intervention and school-based services. She has experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, sensory processing dysfunction, feeding aversion/difficulties, learning disabilities, developmental delays, fine motor delays, developmental vision deficits, cerebral palsy and more. She has received specialty certification and training in the Handwriting Without Tears program, nutrition therapy for children with Autism spectrum disorders, managing developmental visual deficits in children, designing pediatric strength training programs, developing school and home based sensory diets, and working with children with dysgraphia. She is trained in the Vital Links Therapeutic Listening Program with experience in creating and implementing therapeutic listening programs for ages 3-12. She moved to Austin in 2008 and enjoys traveling, outdoor activities and cooking. Summer loves her work in Occupational Therapy with children and has found watching the children she works with develop and gain new skills truly rewarding!

Renee Hinson, OTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Renee’ attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Psychology. She then went on to complete her Master’s of Occupational Therapy degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX. Renee’ has experience working with children with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory processing difficulties, developmental delay, fine motor delay and more. She recently attended a continuing education course on vision and learning.

Jessica Kemble, OTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Jessica received her Bachelor of Science majoring in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University located in Hamden Connecticut in January of 2001. Over the past three years, Jessica has specialized in working with children birth to three years of age. She also has past experience working in different therapeutic settings such has home care, inpatient/neuro-rehabilitation, nursing home, and community re-entry programs. Jessica has a passion to expand her expertise in the areas of feeding difficulties and autism. She has attended multiple continuing educational courses related to pediatric concerns such as feeding aversions, autism, sensory processing dysfunction, early childhood advocacy, and The Wilberger Brushing Protocol. She loves the field of OT and enjoys making an impact on young lives.

Jenny Kim, MOTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Jenny received her Bachelor in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. She studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia for one year, where she discovered her love for OT. Jenny received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. She is trained in Handwriting without Tears and Applied Behavior Analysis through Working with Autism in California. She also worked at Lindamood Bell Learning Processes, where she was trained in their LIPS program, Seeing Stars, Visualizing and Verbalizing programs. She has worked with children of all ages, from newborns to teenagers, in a variety of settings that include schools, in-home, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient clinic settings.

Stephanie L. Figioli, M.S., OTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Stephanie began working with children with special needs at a summer camp specializing in inclusion at age 18 and loved it. She received her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University in 2003. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings including school-based, in-home, and outpatient clinic settings. Stephanie has experience working with children with Autism Specrum Disorders, learning disabilities, sensory processing dysfunction, fine motor delays, and more. She has attended continuing education courses in the areas of handwriting, sensory processing, Interactive Metronome, Brain Gym, and the DIR/Floortime Model. Stephanie loves OT and working with children and can't imagine doing anything else!

Tonya Torres, OTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Tonya received her Bachelor of Health Science in Occupational Therapy from Texas Women’s University in Denton. She has 10 years experience in the field of Pediatric Occupational Therapy. Tonya has worked in Early Childhood Intervention, home health care, school-based services, and pediatric private practice. She has been involved with handwriting skills training, sensory processing disorders, feeding difficulties, Autism, developmental delays, learning disabilities, ocular motor difficulties, activities of daily living, and much more.

Yelin Kim, MOTR/L — Occupational Therapist
Yelin graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Philosophy before she received a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio , TX . She has experience working with children with Autism, Down Syndrome, Fine Motor Delays, Sensory Processing Disorders, Learning Disorders, and more. She has attended courses in the areas of sensory processing, Eye Gym for vision-related difficulties in children, and Handwriting Without Tears. She is certified in Interactive Metronome (IM) and has attended an advanced pediatric IM course. Yelin loves being around children and using play to help them learn and grow! She enjoys hanging out with her fiancé, Chris, and their two pups: Bella and Arthus.

Jaimie Deibert, CCC-SLP — Speech-Language Pathologist
Jaimie received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Iowa. She received her Master's in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Texas at Austin. Jaimie began the first eight years of her career in the public schools with children ages three to high school. She now thoroughly enjoys working with the children and team of therapists in the private setting. Jaimie has clinical expertise in the treatment and evaluation of children with a variety of communication disorders including: articulation/phonology, language, apraxia, fluency, autism, head injury and cerebral palsy. She has had extensive training in Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment and Intervention by Toni Linder, Ed.D. Jaimie is a certified Hanen provider for the It Takes Two to Talk program and holds certification for the Fast ForWord program. Jaimie was awarded the Teacher of the Year at her previous elementary school in 2004 and 2008. In her free time, Jaimie enjoys cooking, traveling and completing home projects. She is thrilled to work in a career that makes her smile every day..

Stacey Rosensteel, CCC-SLP — Speech-Language Pathologist
Stacey received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from San Diego State University. She received her Master’s in Clinical Speech Pathology from Northern Arizona University. She holds a Certificate of Clinical competence (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Stacey has practiced in private pediatric clinics, children's hospitals and public schools with children of all ages, ranging from infancy through middle school. She has clinical expertise working with a variety of diagnoses to include oral-motor dysfunction/feeding therapy, articulation disorders, language disorders, fluency, voice, Down Syndrome and Autism. Stacey is Level 1 PROMPT trained and has attended seminars that examine the evaluation and management of patients with Tracheostomys and Artificial Airways , picky eaters and Dysphagia management. Her special interest areas include Autism spectrum disorders, articulation disorders, language impairments, voice, feeding/oral-motor dysfunction and Down Syndrome. Stacey loves the field of Speech Therapy and is happy to be a part of such a wonderful team.

Katie Michner, CCC-SLP — Speech-Language Pathologist
A native of the Midwest, Katie graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Spanish. She went on to receive her Master of Arts in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Texas at Austin. Katie holds a Texas license in speech-language pathology and has ASHA certification. Her experience includes working with pediatric patients in both the public school and clinical settings. In addition to working with children who have articulation and expressive/receptive language delays, Katie has experience working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorders, fluency disorders, developmental delays, and feeding disorders. Katie and her husband Evan live in North Austin. In their spare time they enjoy cheering on the Longhorns, running, spending time with friends and family, and discovering new Mexican restaurants.

Megan Briggs, CCC-SLP — Speech-Language Pathologist
Megan received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Baylor University and received her Master's of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. She holds a Texas license and the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. Megan began the first three years of her career in the San Diego public schools where she provided direct clinical services to children ages three to twelve with disorders related to speech, language, articulation, voice, fluency, and hearing. She also has experience assessing and treating children who have a variety of diagnoses, including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy. Megan has had training in The Picture Exchange Communication System, Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment and Intervention, Supporting Language and Communication for Individuals with Autism, and Auditory Habilitation. Megan and her husband live in North Austin. During their free time they enjoy traveling, exercising, discovering new local eateries and taking their dog to the park.

Gayle Covington, PT — Physical Therapist
Gayle is a 1979 graduate of Texas Woman’s University with a degree in Physical Therapy. She is a native Austinite, attending AISD schools and the University of Texas at Austin before entering the Physical Therapy program at TWU. She has practiced physical therapy in various settings in her 25 + years of experience including: acute care, neonatal intensive care, home health – both adult and pediatric, outpatient rehabilitation, and in the public school setting. Her interest in pediatrics began in the NICU unit at Seton and she has spent the majority of her career in pediatrics. Gayle was an adjunct instructor at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) for several years and has expertise in the areas of neonatal intensive care, neuro-developmental treatment, sensory integration dysfunction, visual/auditory/vestibular integration, and therapeutic exercise. Infants and pre-schoolers are her passion and she is privileged to have the opportunity to impact children and their families through physical therapy.

Janet Magajna, PT — Physical Therapist
Janet is a graduate of the physical therapy program at State University of New York - Stony Brook. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy in 1998. Janet has since worked exclusively with the pediatric population in the outpatient, school and home based settings. She moved to Austin in 2005, and is a licensed P.T. in both Texas and New York. She has evaluated and treated children, from birth to teenage years, with a variety of diagnoses including, but not limited to, torticollis, developmental delay, hypotonia, cerebral palsy, idiopathic toe walking, William's Syndrome, Down Syndrome and Cri du Chat Syndrome. Janet greatly enjoys working with children and their families and making a positive impact in their lives. She also enjoys the arts, traveling, hiking, endurance bike riding and entertaining her cat, Flaco.

Michelle Mejia, PT — Physical Therapist
Michelle graduated from the University of Kansas Medical Center with a Masters in Physical Therapy in 1998. She has since worked exclusively with the pediatric population in a variety of settings including children's hospitals, outpatient clinics, and home health. Michelle has treated children with a wide variety of diagnoses from birth to teenage years. She has specialized in developmental therapeutic activities, splinting, serial casting, obesity, wound care, and working with burn survivors. Her passion is helping children and their families to maximize their physical abilities in order to thrive in their childhood environments.

Sonja Casados — Administrative Assistant
Becoming a patient of OT Connection is super simple, and one of the first people you might talk to is Sonja Casados. Sonja is the Administrative Assistant for OT Connection. She is here to take care of the families’ insurance questions and concerns, and offer general therapy related information. Sonja has experience in the related field of pediatric therapy administrative work, for she has been in this environment for 10 years. In addition to pediatrics, she carries knowledge in the adult therapy field as well. Sonja loves and cares for the children and the families which come to OT Connection. She is here to answer any questions you might have. On a personal note, Sonja is a wife, a mother of two daughters, and a full time student working on a bachelor’s degree in accounting; she is degreed with an associate in accounting. With a smile and laughter, Sonja looks forward to better the lives of the patients whom attend and inquire about OT Connection.

Amy Hart — Billing Manager
Amy has over 10 years experience in medical billing, and healthcare management. She enjoys working in the pediatric setting, and is more than happy to help answer your account questions. Amy is currently receiving her Bachelors in Psychology from University Of Phoenix. Amy, and her son reside in Pflugerville. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and gardening.

Rachel Carpenter — Front Desk Administrative Assistant
Rachel has a background in marketing and management, focusing on real estate and personal insurance. Her most recent experience in the medical field was at a small family counseling office with 3 locations in Texas. She is excited about learning about occupational, speech and physical therapy. You will see her smiling face as you check in for your child’s appointment. Rachel is also a notary public and offers her services complimentary to our clients. Please feel free to call the office to confirm she has her stamp and is in the office. Rachel also crochets and knits, ask her about what she is currently working on.

Chelsea Rumbo —Therapy Tech
Chelsea Rumbo began working at OT Connection in August of 2009. She is currently a senior at Southwestern University in Georgetown, majoring in Communication Studies. Chelsea will graduate in May 2010 with a Bachelors Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Psychology. She has been applying to various graduate schools in Texas to obtain her master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a focus in Speech Language Pathology. From observing therapy sessions to assisting in the front office, she is learning the many facets of a therapeutic practice. Additionally, Chelsea enjoys playing lacrosse for Southwestern, canoeing, bowling, going to the beach, and spending time with family and friends.