We were so worried, anxious, and lost when we first started this process, but Meril has been endlessly patient, kind, and supportive from the start. When we began OT with Play and Grow Therapy, my son had no previous therapy experience, he was 19 months old, and struggled with fine motor skills issues, certain sensory sensitivities, speech delay, and regulation skills. In just the past two months since we started this process, not only has Meril helped our son to grow and improve across the board in every single one of the aforementioned areas -- but she has also empowered us as parents.
The tools and tactics that Meril has taught to me and my husband along the way have made us feel less anxious, and more secure. Aside from getting to witness all of our son's incredible progress so far, we feel more capable, excited, and optimistic about knowing how to best support our son's future growth and ongoing development moving forward, too. Initially, when starting OT - our son still couldn't do any hand gestures, and now he gets excited to clap on his own every time he is happy or when its part of a nursery rhyme, (which he couldn't do before). He didn't used to be able to put puzzle pieces back on the board for any of his toddler puzzles, and now he gets excited to put things back into place. When we started therapy he also only had about 3-4 words (used inconsistently), and now he has a vocabulary of at least 20-30 words, and seems to say new words almost every day or every couple of days. He also struggled a lot with regulation and transitioning between activities - (both at home or daycare). For example, he used to cry being dropped off every single morning, or whenever the class would switch activities.
Now, he has greatly strengthened his regulation skills, and even his teachers have commented on the improvement because our son now transitions between activities during the day much more smoothly compared to before. Seeing our son's progress has been so meaningful and really inspiring. Initially, our son also showed little interest in interacting with peers when we first began OT, and he would struggle to stay with the group during circle time - for example. He also seemed to get overwhelmed or overstimulated at times (re: regulation). Now, he is already showing improvement in those areas, and also shows more willingness (and sometimes even interest) in social interaction.
My husband and I are endlessly grateful to Meril, and Play and Grow Therapy, for making all of this possible. It's already been such an incredible journey of learning, growth, and empowerment for all of us - and we feel optimistic about the future and excited to see where things go!
S.K.
"Working with Meril has been amazing! I have ADHD and was struggling with both sensory dysregulation and setting up routines to keep my life feeling non-chaotic.
With Meril’s help, I was able to get my house more organized and develop a routine to help me achieve the tasks that are important to me. She presented ideas and tasks in a way that minimized stress and dysregulation. She is the best!”
L.G.
Meril [was] our baby’s brachial plexus therapist. She has always been very professional, available and open to any questions or concerns that we have.
Our baby has significantly improved since we got to work with Meril, she always finds new exercises and tricks to keep our baby engaged with exercises. Our baby loves her!”
S.T.
"Meril has helped me feel like I am in a safe space and can comfortably pour my heart out and say everything I am feeling without feeling judged one bit.
I already feel better equipped to handle the ups and downs of life with the tools I have learned from her. Simply put, every time I leave our session I feel like I can breathe easier and I have her to thank for that."
