We're On a Mission
Our mission is to be an integral part of your team; to address the needs of your whole family, within your family dynamic, to achieve your vision of success. Our goal is to use efficient, evidence-based approaches on our path to utmost health and happiness through therapeutic play, meaningful activity, and reflex integration.
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Nicole Stanton, MOT, OTR/L
My name is Nicole Stanton and I am a pediatric occupational therapist, and the owner of Little Harbor Therapy. I have been passionate about working with children and their families since my days of working as a dance instructor. My experience as a licensed and registered occupational therapist has always been focused on pediatrics. I have always delved into the why of every aspect of therapy and for that reason feel strongly about research-based techniques. In fact I’m a bit of a research nerd and embrace the idea of always learning. I specialize in reflex integration and am a Core-In-Training using the Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration Method (MNRI®). I feel so blessed to have been introduced to using reflex integration work and have found it to be immensely valuable for the families I work with. Since incorporating reflex integration into my practice, I have seen incredible progress. The key is blending reflex integration work with functional activities specific to the child’s needs, in a play-based and motivating environment.
Many times children (and adults!) have dysfunctional reflex patterns that are impacting their ability to appropriately respond to their environment. (Learn more about reflexes here). This creates a constant stress on the brain and body, making even simple activities like sitting still, reading, writing, or whatever is being asked of them more effortful than it needs to be. Everything is more challenging, and children often learn to stop trying the things that are difficult for them. So when we work on the reflexes, the avoidance block is still there. That’s where the functional therapy methods come in. We show the body what it’s capable of doing, now that the reflexes are functioning the way that they should.
In addition to ongoing training with the Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute, I am a certified Handwriting Without Tears instructor. I have training in sensory integration methods, visual motor integration, and other bodywork techniques. I have experience working in the home, outpatient clinic, and in the school system, treating children with Sensory Processing Disorders, ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome, and other neurological disorders. I earned a Master’s of Occupational Therapy from the University of Florida and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in Health Science from the University of Florida.