A graduate of Hamilton College and MCPHS University, Sandy was inspired to become a physical therapist after her younger sister was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. “I spent a lot of time volunteering at my sister’s preschool and saw the amazing work that the physical therapists did. Seeing how they helped children learn to move and play like their friends did was really inspiring to me.”

Sandy says that she believes it’s important to understand the individuality of each person she treats. “We all have different motivations and different needs,” she explains. “I love working with people to adopt what we do in the clinic at home for maximum carryover. When I work with children, I believe that therapy should be play. Children learn through play and interaction with their environment and I like finding creative ways to help them play and also techniques that can challenge them physically.”

Sandy truly enjoys working with kids and has a special interest in helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She often integrates concepts of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) into her work. She also enjoys utilizing adaptive sports to help facilitate socialization between children of different physical capabilities.

In her work at Reliant, Sandy enjoys meeting new people and listening to the stories they have. “Everyone is so individual. We all have a different way of doing things and I enjoy watching and learning from everyone I meet.”

In her spare time Sandy enjoys being an assistant coach of a swim team. “I work to help acclimate young children under the age of ten to a competitive environment and also promote healthy habits to avoid overuse injuries in the future.” Sandy also runs an adaptive rock climbing program for children and adults with disabilities. “I love watching as the participants build confidence and make improvements in coordination and motor patterning.”