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5970 Centre St S, Unit 100 Calgary, AB, T2H0C2
Formerly known as SMILE Therapy for Kids Calgary
Help us fundraise for a medium Trexo Robot
Meet The Team
We have been coming here with our daughter for some time. She has grown and learned so much with the lovely therapists. All the staff have been amazing and friendly. - Angelica D. Oct 2023
Disability Parent, Executive Director, Founder
Julie Rubin
Julie and her husband Brian's lives took a dramatic turn when their three-month-old son, Kaleb, was diagnosed with the rare and severe condition known as Lissencephaly. This diagnosis sparked their journey to establish the Canadian Centre for Development...
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Lydia Heng
Special Interests: Sensory challenges, fine-motor delays, vestibular concerns, proprieceptive system
Lydia was born and raised in Calgary, AB and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary. She later called Ontario home when attending Queen's University in Kingston when completing her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. Her experience involves over 10 years working professionally with children in areas...
Speech Language Pathologist, Orofacial Myologist
Natalie Zacher
Special Interests: motor speech disorders, tongue ties (ToTs), feeding, orofacial myology, complex articulation disorders
Natalie was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and earned her B.Sc. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Alberta in 1991 and her Master's degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Western Ontario in 1993. She has worked with children in various settings from Headstart programs to community health centres to private practice. Natalie has worked with children of all ages and diagnoses and holds a special place in her heart for babies; she especially enjoys working with families to facilitate early communication and feeding skills. She enjoys collaborating with other professionals as each team member provides a critical piece to the rehabilitation process.
Natalie enjoys working with parents both 1:1 and through presentations. “Parents are a child’s best advocate so the more they know about how to help their child, the better chance their child has of success.” Committed to ongoing professional development, Natalie has most recently taken Beckman Oral Motor training, oral myology coursework and oral-motor placement therapy.
Paediatric Physiotherapist, CME & DMI
Jessica Vo
Special Interests: neurodevelopmental challenges, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), youth athletes, hand therapy, spinal electrical stimulation
Jessica graduated from the University of Alberta with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. She has a special interest in helping children reach their full potential and has honed her skills in providing specialized care for the pediatric population. With experience in outpatient settings, she assesses and treats a wide range of pediatric conditions,
Lanugages: English and very limited Cantonese
Occupational Therapist
Sydney Lafond
Special Interests: Integrating of music into therapy sessions, sensory integration, oral motor delays
Sydney grew up in Okotoks, AB, and graduated with a
Bachelor of Music in Integrated Studies with a minor in
Psychology from the University of Calgary. She then
completed her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. During her Master’s, Sydney traveled to Australia for her final placement, where she got to work with children with various disabilities within an interdisciplinary clinical setting. With her 3 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities, she has...
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Languages: English and basic French
Speech Language Pathologist
Shaun Pearson
Special interests: Alternative and Augmented Communication (AAC), Non-speaking kids
Shaun obtained his Masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from McGill University. He is passionate about helping his clients of all ages improve their communication skills. Shaun is a fun, energetic, and dedicated clinician, who loves to “think outside the box” during therapy to motivate his clients to communicate. Shaun has worked...
Occupational Therapist
Jenn Collett
Special Interests: Autism, Sensory Integration, Introception
Jenn has over 20 years experience and is passionate about helping children of all ages overcome sensory, fine-motor/writing, and self-care challenges (feeding, bathing, dressing). She believes in the power of a collaborative approach and works closely with parents to develop tailored solutions that best support their child’s unique needs. Her goal is to create a positive and encouraging environment where children can build confidence and reach their full potential. Over the years, Jenn has pursued professional development in Introception with Kelly Maher, Autism intervention with Kim Barthel, feeding interventions with Marsha Dunn Klein, the Wilbarger Protocol with Patricia Wilbarger, Sensory Profiling with Winnie Dunn, and trauma-informed care.
Jenn is dedicated to using evidence-based practices and innovative techniques to ensure that each child receives the highest quality of care. Whether it’s through playful activities that enhance sensory integration, targeted exercises to improve fine motor control, or creative strategies to support daily self-care tasks, she strives to make therapy both effective and enjoyable. She is committed to empowering families and fostering the development of skills that will have a lasting impact on the child’s life.
She believes that, together, we can navigate the challenges and celebrate the successes, making each step of the journey a rewarding experience for both the child and their family.
Jenn supports families in CCD’s facilities as well as in Okotoks home and community.
Pediatric Physiotherapist, CME, ThearaBounce
Shivani Dagli
Special Interests: Neuromotor Development in children, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), Rebound Therapy and Therapeutic Trampolining, Core Strength Training
Shivani began her physiotherapy journey in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy, and later achieving her Master’s of Physiotherapy in Neurological conditions in 2018.
Prior to moving to Alberta in 2023, she worked as a pediatric physiotherapist in Ontario, which is also where she completed her Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME) certification with Simona DeMarchi.
Shivani is a lifelong learner, never passing up an opportunity to expand her knowledge for providing
physiotherapy care to her clients. Her specialization lies in offering physiotherapy services to pediatric
clients with gross motor concerns stemming from various conditions, including but not limited to
torticollis, plagiocephaly, gross motor delay, global developmental delay, genetic conditions, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder. What truly sets Shivani apart is her creative approach to delivering care to children with special abilities using skills and tools she has gathered as part of continuing education. She has gained knowledge and certification in NDT for paediatrics, CME, and Rebound Therapy and Therapeutic Trampolining.
Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi
Paediatric Physiotherapist, DMI Level C
Dipika Shah
Special Interests: Neuromotor development, combining Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) with NDT and other physiotherapy strategies, Cystic Fibrosis, Airway Clearance Techniques
Dipika has a Master’s degree in Neuro-Pediatrics, completed her PhD in Pediatric Physiotherapy in 2018, was Assistant Professor and in charge of the Department of Pediatric Physiotherapy in Charusat University in India, and has worked with hundreds of children throughout her career. Over the years, she has taken part in numerous speaking...
Languages: Fluent - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Basic - Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Urdu
Speech-Language Pathologist
Randi Carlson
Special Interests: Neurodiversity, AAC, Speech Delays
Randi Carlson was born and raised in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She holds a B.Sc. in Psychology from Briercrest College and Seminary and a B.Sc. in Communication Disorders from Minot State University, where she also earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
With experience working with children of all ages and adults, Randi’s passion for early development began during her time as an Early Childhood Educator. She thrives in both one-on-one and group settings, working closely with children and their caregivers to build skills collaboratively. She believes that empowering families as a whole is key to helping every child reach their full potential.
Randi has enjoyed working with children of all abilities and is excited to build meaningful connections with the families she serves.
Pediatric Physiotherapist
Urvi Desai
Special interests: Neuro-rehab, gait training, tone management, Functional Electrical Stimulation, Vestibular Rehabilitation
Urvi has spent majority of her career dedicated in the field of neurorehabilitation.
With over 10 years of experience working with clients facing neuro-motor challenges, she has developed a deep expertise in a variety of therapeutic techniques aimed at improving movement and function. Her extensive background includes specialized training in stroke rehabilitation, Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT), and Vestibular rehabilitation.
Additionally, she has pursued advanced education in tone management and gait training, allowing her to offer comprehensive, tailored care to each individual she works with. Her commitment to continuous learning and hands-on experience ensures that she remains at the
forefront of treatment strategies, helping clients achieve greater independence and mobility.
When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, biking on city trails, gardening and learning classical Indian dance form.
Languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi
Canadian Certified Counsellor, Behavioural Therapist, Play Therapist
Renae Calder
Special Interests: Children and family mental health, attachment styles, trauma-informed care, child development
Renae is a Canadian Certified Counsellor and
Behavioural Therapist with a background in
human development, specializing in children,
youth and families. She has years of
experience working with children with
developmental differences, and it is her
passion to help children, youth and families
experience success and confidence. Renae is
certified with the Canadian Counselling and
Psychology Association, as a Play Therapist
with the Canadian Association For Play
Therapy, and as an Accelerated Resolution
Therapist (ART). She also holds certifications
in ATTACH, ASIST, Brain Story, Emotional
Literacy, Mandt, Nurturing Parent Facilitation,
Trans Wellness Initiative, Trauma Informed
Care (TIC), and Mental Health First Aid.
Renae works through a person-centered lens, as every child
and family is unique, and support them in a way that works
best for them, using evidence based practices.
Renae supports families in CCD’s facilities, in the home and out in the community.
Languages: English and basic French
Paediatric Physiotherapist, CME
Danielle Mitchell
Special Interests: Neuromotor development, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME)
Danielle is passionate about helping families achieve their goals. She works to help children obtain optimal development through movement. She currently holds a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Kinetics. Danielle has experience working with children of all ages and backgrounds. She completed a pediatric...
Languages: English, French
Registered Massage Therapist, Liddle Kidz Certified
Patricia Milburn-Barile
Special Interests: Working with children of all ages and abilities, infant massage, TMJ massage, massage for digestion/constipation, side-lying massage, pre/post-natal massage
Patricia has been practicing massage for over two decades and has grown her toolbox of techniques to accommodate any client, big or small, no matter their concerns. Some techniques and experience that we’re especially excited for her to bring to our clinic are her Liddle Kidz Pediatric Massage certification, trigger point therapy, neuromuscular facilitation techniques,
Lead Therapy Assistant, Service Delivery Manager
Breanna Hutley
Special Interests: Working with children of all ages and abilities, primitive reflexes, bringing an artisitc spin to therapy
Breanna was born and raised in Calgary, AB. She has a Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant diploma from SAIT and has a passion for working with children with disabilities. She has worked with children since 2020 and is excited to learn and grow. She is compassionate, kind and patient with people in all walks of life...
Paediatric Physiotherapist, DMI Level A
Kanika Sabhani
Special Interests: Neuromotor development, Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI), Acupuncture, Concussions
Kanika was raised in Edmonton and has had a passion for physiotherapy from a young age. She has mild CP and has spent several years in physiotherapy as a child working on improving her own walking. This cemented her interest in physiotherapy and she decided to travel to the land down under to pursue her Doctorate of Physiotherapy from...
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