October is Occupational Therapy month, a time to recognize the dedicated occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) at Holland Bloorview who help children and youth build the skills, confidence and independence they need to thrive. Across inpatient and outpatient programs, occupational therapists play a vital role in supporting meaningful participation in everyday activities, partnering with families and interdisciplinary teams to help children reach their goals at home, at school and in their communities.

"Occupational therapists bring creativity, compassion and clinical expertise to every interaction, helping children and youth overcome barriers and engage in the activities that matter most to them," says Heidi Schwellnus, collaborative practice leader at Holland Bloorview. "This month, we're proud to celebrate the incredible contributions of our occupational therapy team and the meaningful difference they make in the lives of the children, youth and families we serve."

Meet four OTs/OTAs who champion inclusion, belonging and innovation in creative and collaborative ways. 

Making magic

Salma Kassam is an occupational therapist on Holland Bloorview’s brain injury rehabilitation team (BIRT) unit. One of the things she enjoys most about her role is building meaningful relationships with clients and families during their inpatient stay and supporting them in achieving their goals.

“Occupational therapists use a variety of strategies to help children develop fine motor, cognitive, and functional communication skills, including a little magic,” says Salma.

Since 2003, occupational therapists at Holland Bloorview have partnered with Magicana to deliver My Magic Hands, a group program where magicians and occupational therapists serve as “magic coaches.” Together, they help clients learn illusions, develop scripts, and successfully perform each trick. Through practice, clients build new skills, confidence, and the ability to share their magic with family and friends.

Beyond the clinic

Carling Robertson has been an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) at HB for 11 years. She’s a shining example of how OTAs can contribute in a variety of ways across the hospital…sometimes in unexpected places. She recently completed a secondment as a clinical applications specialist with the IM&T Meditech team, which allowed her to apply her skills in a different way. 

“Working across different programs over the years gave me a broader perspective on opportunities to optimize Meditech workflows. I learned a tremendous amount from the team… and appreciated the strong collaboration,” she says. “Returning to my clinical team, I was able to share that knowledge and contribute to improvements that support both staff and client care.” 

The best part of her job? “The clients and working with a great team.”

Thinking outside the box

Liz Cambridge’s passion for occupational therapy comes from a lifelong desire to help people and a love of creative problem-solving. She is driven by finding practical, creative and sometimes out-of-the-box solutions that help children achieve goals that matter to them – whether that’s independently putting on a bracelet, participating in a favourite activity or trying something new for the first time. 

After volunteering in Holland Bloorview’s inpatient therapeutic playroom and completing a student placement at the hospital, Liz joined the team as an occupational therapist in 2021. This past September, Liz, alongside her colleagues on the neuromotor team, championed a cerebral palsy (CP) event for clients and families as a way to address some of the isolation experienced by those in Holland Bloorview’s CP community. “…it reinforced how important it is for families to meet other families and for kids to connect with peers who are like them,” she says. 

Game on!

Victoria Paoli is an occupational therapist in the BIRT Inpatient program. She recently partnered with colleagues from across the organization to lead an accessible gaming partnership that will help create individualized gaming solutions for more clients. 

“Gaming has increasingly been identified as a meaningful therapy goal for children and youth, providing opportunities to build participation, motor skills, cognitive skills, problem-solving and social engagement through an activity that is motivating and personally meaningful,” says Victoria. “However, clinicians often lack access to adaptive gaming equipment, resources, or training needed to effectively support these goals.” 

To help address this gap and meet growing interest, a small team of clinicians led by Victoria have been collaborating with Alexander Hodge, a senior video game developer with Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL) over the past year and a half to create customized gaming solutions.

By Erin Pooley 
Photos by Brendan Byrne and Will Lam