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Staff: The Therapeutic Learning Center employs experienced pediatric therapists within multiple disciplines, allowing us to provide a full range of services for children within the same familiar setting. Our therapists have extensive experience working with children of all ages and abilities. Each therapist brings unique skills, training, and professional expertise to use in developing effective treatment programs collaboratively with each child and family.  Diane L. Maxson, MHA, MS, OTR/LOwner/Executive Director Occupational Therapist Diane received her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University, with a specialty in Clinical Pediatrics. She was a LEND Fellow at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center in Waltham, MA, and received her Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Suffolk University. Diane has worked with adults and children in a variety of settings, including rehabilitation hospitals, Early Intervention programs, Day Habilitation Centers, public school systems, and private schools. She continues to work clinically as well as administratively, specializing in evaluation and treatment for individuals with difficulties in the areas of sensory integration and sensory processing, feeding, sleep regulation, and anxiety. She has received Advanced Training in Therapeutic Listening®, and specialized Feeding Therapy training in Food Chaining, the Beckman Approach, and the Sequential Oral Sensory Approach. Diane is also active in the Massachusetts Association for Occupational Therapy, currently serving on the Executive Board as Reimbursement Representative and acting Legislative Representative. She has become familiar with the hallways of the State House, working actively to improve health insurance reimbursement of therapy services for children. In 2004 Diane opened the Therapeutic Learning Center in response to the growing need for quality community based therapy services for children. The wonderful children and families that have become part of the TLC family continually inspire Diane; each day is full of laughter, challenge, and inspiration. Olga B. Bernstein, MS, OTR/L Occupational Therapist Olga graduated Cum Laude from Boston University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She was granted a Master of Science degree in 2006 Magna Cum Laude from Tufts University in Occupational Therapy, with a specialty in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Olga is also certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test, trained in the “Handwriting Without Tears” handwriting instruction program and the “How Does Your Engine Run” program, and is fluent in Russian. Olga’s professional experience has been exclusively in the area of pediatrics. She trained under internationally recognized experts in the area of Sensory Processing Dysfunction at Occupational Therapy Associates in Watertown, MA, and at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. Before joining TLC she worked for the Project Spoke Special Education Collaborative and the Foxborough Public Schools.  Paula Boylan, OTR/LOccupational Therapist Paula is an experienced pediatric therapist with exceptionally broad clinical experience. While working at Franciscan Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center she supervised the Inpatient OT services and was a member of the Feeding Team, Augmentative Communication Team, and the Multidisciplinary Outpatient Evaluation Team. She also served as Director of Occupational Therapy at the Massachusetts Hospital School where she supervised OT services provided to students with significant physical disabilities. Paula divides her career between the Mansfield Public School system and TLC. She has specialty training in Therapeutic Listening®, Sensory Integration, handwriting, visual skills, autism, and assistive technology.  Julie Davidson, COTAOccupational Therapy Assistant Following an early career in printing and graphic arts Julie discovered the field of occupational therapy. In addition to her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University she holds an Associate of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Bristol Community College where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She has continued to broaden her clinical skills through additional training in sensory strategies, the SCERTS Model, and fine motor skills. Julie brings extraordinary energy, creativity, and enthusiasm to TLC and to every child she works with.  Greta Bearce, MA, CCC-SLPSpeech Language Pathologist Greta joined our TLC Team with impressive pediatric clinical expertise ranging from early intervention to school-aged children. She has worked in a variety of settings, including home based Early Intervention, pediatric home health therapy, public and private school based therapy, and a private pediatric clinic specializing in sensory integration. She is Certified in the Hanen Program for Parents (It Takes Two to Talk), and has advanced training in the areas of social pragmatics, oral motor therapy, sensory processing, apraxia of speech, phonological processing, and PROMPT. Greta has been instrumental in developing and leading TLC’s very effective Social Skills/Social Thinking Program.  Heather Sage, MS, CCC-SLPSpeech Language Pathologist Heather has worked in pediatric therapy settings for 8 years. Her clinical experience includes assessing and treating children from toddlerhood to adolescence who have a variety of speech and language issues including Autism spectrum disorders, apraxia, articulation/phonological disorders, language delays, hearing loss, stuttering, voice disorders, auditory processing issues, learning disabilities, and delays in literacy development. She has received specialized training in the Wilson Reading System and Empower for Writing and has attended continuing education courses in a variety of clinical areas. Clinical interests include literacy development, dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, central auditory processing, and concurrent psychological issues. Heather earned a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Emerson College in 2003.  Kathy Higgins, PTPhysical Therapist Kathy is an experienced pediatric Physical Therapist with extensive experience in clinical and educational settings. She currently divides her career between the Mansfield Public School system and TLC. Her strong knowledge of pediatric motor development was developed while working at Franciscan Children’s Hospital, the Mass Hospital School, Brockton Early Intervention, and other home health and special education programs. We are thrilled to have Kathy as part of our Team!  Ann ConnorsOffice Manager/Billing Czar Ann keeps TLC running smoothly while negotiating the ever expanding maze of health insurance billing requirements. We are very lucky to have her on our team! Ann’s career path has alternated between jobs in teaching/human services, computer programming, and office management where she juggled bookkeeping, website maintenance, and graphic design for presentations and brochures. At TLC Ann is able to utilize all of her interests and many talents. In addition to managing billing and reimbursement, Ann designed and maintains our website, and helps with our other graphic design needs.  Tara CarosaReceptionist/Clinic Operations Tara is the voice and heart of TLC. She greets everyone with a smile, whether you are calling on the phone or walking through our doors. A native of Colorado, Tara moved to the Boston area after graduating from the University of Colorado with a degree in Business and a minor in Communication and Leadership. During college she volunteered over 2000 hours for the AmeriCorps program. Before coming to TLC she worked as preschool teacher and camp counselor. Playing ice hockey, hiking, cooking, and running keeps Tara busy on the weekends. She will be applying to graduate schools for her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy in the future. |
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