About AMANDA
Amanda Staples, MOT, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist & Co-Director of the Center for Connection & Neurodiversity
Amanda is an Occupational Therapist with 18 years of experience working in several different settings. She began her career working in a school setting at Los Angeles Unified School District in the visually impaired program. She then spent 10 years working at a local private clinic in which she was able to work with children ranging from birth to age 17. Her caseload consisted of an extensive variety of diagnoses to include Autism, Down Syndrome, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Processing Disorder, and genetic disorders. While there, she had the opportunity to work in both the clinic setting as well as school setting. In 2014, Amanda shifted gears and took the opportunity to start the in-house Occupational Therapy program for Duarte Unified School District alongside Olivia Martinez. While at DUSD, Amanda co-designed and established 3 OT therapy rooms, co-designed and implemented collaboration programs with the Speech department and co-designed a Fine Motor/Visual Motor program for the general education population.
Amanda earned her Masters of Occupational Therapy degree from Eastern Michigan University. Her undergrad is in Psychology. Prior to beginning OT school, Amanda had the opportunity to volunteer at the Ayres Clinic in Torrance, CA which was founded by Jean Ayre’s who was instrumental in developing, implementing and teaching sensory integration theory. This was an amazing experience for her. During OT school, Amanda worked at a group home for people with brain injuries. This allowed Amanda to gain experience in working with this unique population while helping them with therapies as well as learn or re-learn how to perform and manage everyday tasks.
Amanda had occupational therapy herself as a newborn due to a complicated birth which resulted in her left arm being paralyzed. OT was instrumental in helping her regain functional use of her arm. Once Amanda learned about OT as a college student, she volunteered and became excited about the profession. She has been passionate about sensory integration throughout her career and the amazing positive impact working on the sensory systems can have on all areas of life. Helping a child or adult work on becoming the best version of themselves and celebrating both their uniqueness and differences is Amanda’s goal.
Amanda is married and has two boys of her own. She and her family enjoy outdoor activities, hiking, and exploring new places. She is looking forward to meeting and working together with you!
OT #7362