Annette is the President and founder of Stepping Stones Therapy. She Graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree with a major in Science from the University of North Texas in 1995 and a Masters of Occupational Therapy Degree from Texas Woman's University in 1999. She has over 15 years experience as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist.
Annette has extensive training and experience in a multitude of Pediatric treatment methods including: Beckman Oral-Motor Protocol, Sensory Feeding Therapy, Astronaut Training Program, Therapeutic Listening Program, Wilbarger Therapeutic Brushing & Joint Compression Program, NDT (NeuroDevelopmental Treatment) , Greenspan Floortime Approach, Sensory Integration Treatment, and Handwriting Without Tears.
Occupational Therapists
Dawn Olivares, BSOT, OTR, is a board-certified, licensed Occupational Therapist who earned her degree in Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in 1997. She specializes in pediatrics and sensory-motor applications for functional outcomes. Dawn has experience working in public schools, private home-based therapy, pediatric home healthcare, private clinic-based therapy, and presenting to preschools, school staff, and other therapists. She also works as the lead OT on an Autism Assessment Team and has extensive experience in working with both children and adults with ASD. .
Megan has clinical experiences at pediatric outpatient settings and at an inpatient rehabilitation facility serving on the traumatic brain injury team. She has worked in a pediatric setting since graduation. Areas of interest include vision, utilizing sensory integration techniques, facilitatingdevelopment of life-skills, neuromuscular re-education, and gross and fine motor integration.
Megan is a compassionate, nurturing, and enthusiastic therapist that utilizes a family-centered approach to meet the needs of each of her clients.
Malloryis a dedicated and passionate occupational therapist with a Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Texas Woman’s University. Specializing in pediatrics, Mallory has extensive experience working with children who face developmental delays, sensory processing challenges, fine and gross motor delays, vision deficits, motor planning difficulties, Autism, ADD, and ADHD. Mallory is also trained in the SOS approach to feeding and enjoys helping picky eaters—like herself—discover new foods and learn to enjoy mealtimes again.
In addition to working with children, Mallory has gained valuable experience in inpatient rehabilitation at Baylor and Medical City hospitals. Her goal is to create a warm, supportive environment for every child and family, empowering them to reach their fullest potential through fun and meaningful therapy.
Tracy graduated from Nazarene Bible College in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Counseling for Christian Ministries. She continued her education at Eastern New Mexico University where she graduated with an Associates of Science for Occupational Therapy Assistant. She currently is certified through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, and plans to continue her education toward a Masters in Occupational therapy.
Physical Therapists
Joan has specialized training in the field of torticollis and idiopathic toe walking. She enjoys working with a variety of age groups from infants to young adults with various neuromuscular, developmental, and musculoskeletal diagnoses.
Sarah has over 27 years of experience as a physical therapist. She has specialized in pediatrics for over 23 years, providing physical therapy to children of all ages and abilities in various settings, including early childhood intervention, pediatric homecare, schools, and hospital outpatient.Sarah received her Bachelor Degree in Physical Therapy at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. While working full-time, she obtained her post-professional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Rutgers University,graduating Magna Cum Laude. .
Speech Therapists
Sarah spends most of her expertise in the area of tethered oral disfunction, specifically, as it relates to feeding disorders and functional impact in speaking and eating. She specializes in: autism, apraxia, cognitive impairments, oral motor and myofunctional impairments, receptive/expressive disorders, articulation disorders, phonological disorders, swallowing disorders/feeding including tongue and lip tie restrictions and fluency disorders.
Julia graduated from the University of Tulsa with aMasters of Science in Speech Language Pathology and aBachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Arkansas.Shespent her career in the elementary school settingprior to joining Stepping Stones Therapy for kids. Julia’s specialty areas include articulation disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, pragmatic language disorders, and fluency disorders. She has also completed training in Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) therapy treatment that uses specific cues to help children with apraxia of speech.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, and going on walks!
Kelsie graduated summa cum laude with a master’s of communication sciences from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Arts in communication disorders from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. She has worked in pediatric speech pathology for 3 years in home health and the elementary school setting.
Kelsie specializes in working with articulation and phonological disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, pragmatics, fluency, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Erika attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI for both undergraduate and graduate studies, and graduated with a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology in August of 2002. Erika grew up in the Racine, WI, and moved to Texas after marrying her college sweetheart following her graduation. She began working in a local school district and continued to treat home health patients after school and during the summer. After starting a family of her own, she continued part-time work with home health, private clinics, ECI, and contracted most recently with Little Elm School District.
Office Staff
Sarah has a BBA from Stephen F. Austin State University and has professional experience as a Customer Service Representative, a Sales Manager, and an Office Manager. She also has worked as a Teacher's Aide and Teacher at a Flower Mound preschool, and was most recently a Physical Therapy Technician prior to accepting the position as Office Manager at Stepping Stones.
