Occupational Therapy

Our pediatric occupational therapists work with children and their families to help develop skills in the following areas: play skills, fine motor skills (how our hands and fingers work to accomplish a task), and personal or self-care skills. Treatment techniques promote function and engagement in meaningful occupations, remediate disability, and provide support to families. The strategies our pediatric occupational therapists may use include working on hand/finger/arm strength, trunk strength and stability, practice of specific self-care tasks, and overall sensory processing. Play is used as a way to address desired skills and to encourage the child to be active participants in their therapy sessions.

Who are your therapists?

Ria Camerino, OTR/L, received her Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from University of Southern California.  She has acquired immense experience in a pediatric setting where she treated children with diagnoses such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, drug exposure, prematurity, feeding difficulties and developmental delay.  To further her knoledge in the field, she has taken advanced courses in motor-based and sensory-based feeding, NDT principles, sensory integration and Handwriting Without Tears.  Ria genuinely loves her work as she hopes to make a difference in someone's life and family while aiding her patients with their challenges.  She is a mother of two beautiful girls whom she enjoys spending time with going to theme parks, attending their gymnastics and dance classes, and creating arts and crafts.  In her spare time, she looks forward to days spent in the company of her big, extended, close-knit family and friends.

Mubina Chagpar-Sivjee, OTR/L, SWC, CKTC, CVI Mentor, received her Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Toronto, Canada.  She has been working as a pediatric therapist for over 16 years.  She has experience working with children from birth to 18 years of age in a variety of settings including NICU, inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation, specialty hospital clinics, school based and home environments.  Mubina has treated children with numerous diagnosis such as feeding disorders, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, genetic disorders, neurological impairments, autism and developmental delay.  She has advanced certification in Feeding/Swallowing and therapeutic kinesio-taping.  She also has advanced training in pediatric NDT handling, sensory integration, Hand Writing Without Tears, and has earned CVI mentor status in training with Dr. K. Roman-Lansky, Ph.D. Mubina is excited to work with a dedicated team and with the children and families at UCP.  She is the mother of two teenage children and enjoys the arts and outdoor activities.  

Daisy Ko, OTR/L  received her Masters of Arts degree from the University of Southern California. As an occupational therapist, Daisy has continued to pursue her love working with children from infancy to school-aged children with various disabilities and delays including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, hand-writing delays and behavioral concerns. She continues to work towards her goals in specializing in feeding/swallowing techniques and  sensory integration throughout her career. In her free time, Daisy enjoys learning about people, their culture, and their experiences. She also enjoys taking road trips and spending time with friends in the sun.

Frances Pulido, OTR/L, CVI mentor, originally started her career as a biomedical engineer but left to pursue a more rewarding profession in Occupational Therapy. She received her Masters of Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Augustine in San Marcos, CA. Though Frances has experience in a variety of settings, she has found a passion for pediatrics and loves working with kids of all ages. She has taken professional development courses in Beckman Oral Motor Assessment & Intervention, Foundations in Pediatric Neuro-Developmental Treatment, Handwriting Without Tears, and Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI). She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC). In her spare time, Frances can be found practicing yoga and walking her beloved dog Harvey alongside her husband Allan.

Gail Russell, OTR/L, Gail has been as O.T. for over thirty years.  She has worked with all ages of clients, in hospitals, clinics and home health. Most recent work in in Early Intervention (1 to 3 years) and home health.