Bonnie Lee B.HSc(OT)
Director / Occupational Therapist
Bonnie completed her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in New Zealand and has 13 years of experience working with children. She specialises in paediatrics and has completed a wide variety of additional training.
Bonnie has an interest in a variety of conditions including; Executive Function Disorders, Developmental Delays, Dyspraxia, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), Low Muscle Tone, Visual Processing and Learning Difficulties, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and Autism (ASD).
Bonnie is passionate about identifying the underlying factors that frequently influence a child’s development, performance, and behaviour at home and at school. She believes in supporting children in developing their skills, increasing their self-confidence and encouraging a positive attitude and mindset towards future learning and life skills.
Bonnie enjoys being outdoors, surfing and is passionate about travelling. Although Bonnie now considers the Gold Coast home, she loves returning to New Zealand to visit family and friends.
Bonnie has completed additional training and certification in the following treatment approaches:
- Social Thinking® Masterclass – Zooming in on Social Thinking® (Michelle Garcia Winner)
- Stress, Anxiety, Resilience in children (Dr Chapparo and Dr Lowe)
- Qualified Cogmed Coach
- DIR Floor time
- The Alert Program
- The Traffic Jam in My Brain
- Move to Learn Program
- The M.O.R.E Course (Motor components, Oral organisation, Respiratory demands, Eye Contact and Control)
- Sensory Defensiveness: A comprehensive treatment approach. Including the Therapressure Technique (Wilbarger approach)
- Building Blocks for Movement and Praxis (Dr. Teresa May-
Benson) - PRPP (Perceive, Recall, Plan & Perform) Assessment and Intervention Model (Chapparo and Ranka)
- Play and Autism (Dr Karen Stagnitti)
- Tool Kit 4 Kids (Diana Henry)
- Visual Perceptual Skills in the Classroom (Dr Chris Chapparo)
- Powerful Classroom Strategies From Neuroscience Research (Dr Judy Willis)
Kristy Harris B.Occ.Thy.
Director / Occupational Therapist
Kristy has a strong interest in helping children to overcome the challenges impacting their participation in important daily activities such as learning, playing, and social interactions. This includes children experiencing difficulties with executive function skills, emotional regulation, social skills, and general academic pursuits.
Kristy believes that the pathway to a fulfilling future begins in childhood with a positive educational experience, which all children deserve. This includes building strong foundations to learning, developing friendships, and having fun!
Kristy is actively engaged with Southern Cross University where she supervises occupational therapy students and contributes to the Occupational Therapy program. She is also a member of OT Australia and an associate member of Indigenous Allied Health Australia.
Being married with 3 young girls, like many parents Kristy’s spare time is spent doing homework, cleaning, and making school lunches. However, when she’s not working, she is a proud Manly Sea Eagles supporter (don’t hold it against her), and enjoys going home to the country to spend time with extended family. Kristy feels privileged to be welcomed into the lives of the families she works with, and feels truly blessed to have a career that she loves!
Kristy has completed additional training and certification in the following treatment approaches:
- Social Thinking® Masterclass – Zooming in on Social Thinking® by Michelle Garcia Winner
- The Alert Program
- The Traffic Jam in My Brain
- DIR Floortime
- Stress, Anxiety, Resilience in children by Dr Chris Chapparo and Dr Susan Lowe
- Building Blocks for Movement and Praxis by Dr. Teresa May-Benson
- Helping Children with Autism – OT Australia
- Working with and Learning from First Australians – Koori Occupational Therapy Scheme
- OT Tools For Schools
- Conquering Wee’s and Poo’s
- Key Word Sign
- Move to Learn Program
Sarah Lang BSc(Hons) OT
Occupational Therapist
Sarah completed her Occupational Therapy degree in Scotland in 2004 with her honours project researching how OT’s can improve a child’s quality of life in paediatric palliative care.
Sarah has worked in a range of areas, however helping children and their families has always been a particular area of interest. She is passionate about supporting families and schools by tailoring therapy to suit each unique child and their specific challenges. Sarah ensures that therapy is fun and meaningful which assists a child to reach their full potential.
She believes that empowering children can have a tremendous impact on a child’s performance, both in the home and school environment and can have a lasting effect as they move through life.
She is also particularly inspired by the many positive benefits that yoga and mindfulness can have on children and is a qualified children’s yoga instructor.
Sarah loves living by the ocean and enjoys stand up paddle boarding, yoga and camping with her husband and young daughter.
Emma Hoare B.Occ.Thy (Hons)
Occupational Therapist
Emma completed her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast. Emma has always been passionate about paediatrics and as an occupational therapist aims to provide children of all abilities with the best opportunities to allow them to achieve their goals.
Emma has had a special interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for many years. This interest continued throughout her studies and as a result she formed her honours thesis research on the ‘Professional development needs of early childhood educators to provide an inclusive classroom for children with ASD. From this research, she developed a free online resource for early childhood educators with information about ASD and strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to support inclusive education.
Emma is passionate about early intervention, neuroplasticity, inclusive education, positive behaviour support and social skill development. She enjoys working collaboratively with families, educators and other health providers to achieve optimal outcomes for children, families and schools.
Emma loves spending time with her partner, family, friends and two silky terriers, spoiling her three nieces, keeping active, playing netball and swimming in the ocean.
Melanie Blake
Admin Support
Melanie has a medical administration background and has recently completed a Diploma in Education Support. With this unique mix of strong administrative skills and an understanding of the classroom demands children face, she is a valuable member of the Empowered Kids team.
