Lauren Armstrong, OT cares for children of all ages, specializing in feeding and sensory issues. Most of her patients are young (from infants to early elementary age) and include picky eaters and patients with sensory challenges involving touch, texture, and/or smell. She frequently works with patients who have autism or ADHD. 

Lauren loves empowering kids and their families, and helping them build confidence through routines and behaviors that reinforce the child's physical, emotional and social development. 

Beyond direct patient care, Lauren is working on improving developmental evaluation for younger patients (ages 1-3) to assist in therapy planning. She is also passionate about educating parents on typical/atypical development to help manage expectations and effectively identify areas of concern.

Lauren earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Sonoma State University and a master's degree in occupational therapy from Dominican University. Originally from California, Lauren enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, and traveling in her free time.

Trisha Barnes, OT has a passion for working with children who have developmental coordination disorder or any impairment in sensory processing, coordination, handwriting, or strength. She also teaches classes for new parents about infant motor development, tummy time, and infant massage.

Trisha earned her bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Pacific University. She enjoys teaching babies to enjoy tummy time, watching her kids play soccer, and skiing. 

Favorite Book: Building Babies Better: Developing a Solid Foundation for Your Child by Roxanne Small.

Chantelle Bernier, OTD, OTR/L specializes in infant feeding and developmental disorders. She also works closely with children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, sensory processing disorder, and general sensitivities. She helped develop the Bluebird Program that focuses on fostering supportive interactions for pediatric patients.

Chantelle is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of her patients and their families through the understanding of their needs and by providing a compassionate environment where they can succeed in their occupational roles.

She earned her doctorate in occupational therapy from Pacific University of Oregon and completed her residency in Canada, conducting research and program development related to technology and its impact on children. Chantelle is also an adjunct professor for the School of Occupational Therapy at Pacific University of Oregon.

Chantelle enjoys traveling, hiking, and learning something from everyone she meets. 

Favorite Book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Carolyn (Queck) Blaisdell, MS, OTR/L enjoys working with children of all ages and diagnoses, and has over 10 years of experience working with autism in particular.

Carolyn earned her master's degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, running, and backpacking. 

Jessica Cook, OT specializes in working with kids of all ages who have sensory processing disorders and/or autism spectrum disorder. She especially enjoys working with younger children and helping families understand the underlying causes of specific behaviors. She is passionate about enhancing patient care and is leading work to expand developmental delay and sensory processing programs at St. Luke's.

Jessica earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and family/human development from Utah State University and a master's degree in occupational therapy from Idaho State University. She has also earned Star Proficiency Level I certification from the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing and certification in sequential oral sensory (SOS) feeding therapy. She is currently working on another certification in sensory processing disorders from the University of Southern California. 

Originally from Idaho, Jessica enjoys reading and spending time outdoors with family and friends in her free time.

Amanda Crist, MOTR/L has a passion for working with children and is experienced with a wide variety of physical, behavioral, neurological, and psychological conditions. She enjoys working with children on increasing their ability to participate in daily activities and be successful in life.

Amanda grew up in Twin Falls and earned her bachelor's degree at the College of Idaho. She earned her master’s in occupational therapy from Eastern Washington University with her capstone focusing on the importance of trauma-informed health care.

In her free time Amanda enjoys reading, crafting, camping, and kayaking with her dog.   

Favorite Book or Therapy Toy:  Squigs, LEGOs 

Lindsey Ethridge, MOT, OTR/L, CLC treats infants, children and young adults with feeding difficulties, including bottle or breast feeding concerns, dysphagia, poor feeding, poor weight gain, ARFID, disordered eating, picky eating, difficulty transitioning to solids, poor chewing, and support with supplemental feeding tubes. Lindsey also has professional interest in NICU, neurological impairments, splinting, and cardiac conditions. 

Lindsey has a diverse education and creative therapy background that help her treat patients across the therapy spectrum in inpatient, rehab, and outpatient settings. She considers the child and family holistically to help create lifelong positive experiences with food. Her goal is to reduce stress, fear, and/or mealtime pressure, and improve oral motor skills. She recognizes the importance of developing strategies that can be easy for the family to implement at home.

Lindsey earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology from California Polytechnic State University and her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Loma Linda University.

Kenzie Falck, OTR/L loves working with children of all ages and is passionate about helping families feel empowered to help their children achieve successful feeding development. She possesses advanced training in feeding therapy.

Kenzie earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Western Oregon University, and her master's degree in occupational therapy degree from the University of Utah. In her free time, Kenzie’s interests include spending time with her husband and daughter, cooking and baking, and interior design. 

Favorite Book or Therapy Toy: peanut ball, squigs

Molly Gallegos, MA, OTR/L is passionate about helping children become the best versions of themselves through close collaboration with patients and their families. She also strives to improve the quality of health care within our community through advanced training and leadership as well as through specialty program development. In addition to managing the St. Luke’s Children’s Rehabilitation clinic in Meridian, Molly currently leads St. Luke’s Children’s Rehabilitation’s Executive Functioning Program team. 

Molly is ADHD-Rehabilitation Services certified and has advanced training and certification in the evaluation and treatment of sensory processing disorders. She also collaborates with developmental pediatricians within St. Luke’s Children’s Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities as a part of their multidisciplinary diagnostic team. 

Molly earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from La Sierra University and her master's degree in occupational therapy from University of Southern California.

Favorite Therapy Toys: Swings and bolster slide.

Celene M. Hunter, OTR/L is certified in NIDCAP and has experience in St. Luke's PICU, NICU, NICU follow-up clinic, and pediatrics.

Celene earned her bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from the University of Kansas. Her hobbies include traveling, gardening, and caring for animals. She's married and has a daughter, son, and a granddaughter.

Beth Jacob, OT cares for patients with a variety of special needs, who typically range in age from 3 years old into young adulthood. She works with young patients with communication delays that struggle with self-regulation. She also enjoys working with older clients on impulsivity, working memory and life skills. She has particular expertise working with patients as the complexity of their needs increases with advancing age. Beth often works with patients as they transition into adulthood to ensure continuity of support and help them find employment or sheltered employment, if appropriate. She is passionate about setting her patients up for their highest function and quality of life.

Beth strives to tailor evidence-based solutions for each family's unique characteristics and circumstances, and is committed to teaching parents how to support both their children and themselves. She truly enjoys helping people find improved quality of life in ways that are important to them. "A scary diagnosis doesn't mean there isn't beauty and quality," she says. "Sometimes people just need a few extra skills to help them find it."

Although she has always wanted to be a pediatric occupational therapist, Beth began her career as an adult neurotherapist specializing in oncology and brain injury. She then traveled all over the country, gaining experience with a wide variety of ages and conditions, which helped strengthen her diagnostic skills as well as her ability to uncover what's most important to her patients and their families. Today, she serves as the occupational therapy lead and clinical program coordinator at St. Luke's Children's Rehabilitation.

Originally from Ohio, Beth and her identical twin sister were born prematurely. Both girls benefitted from special education support as children, with Beth needing therapy for speech, vision and coordination challenges, while her sister learned to adapt to significant hearing loss. They grew up surrounded by kids with special needs, and being a part of this community has been central to Beth's entire life experience. She served as a peer mentor in high school teaching ceramics to special needs kids, and has worked with adaptive physical education.

Beth earned an occupational therapy assistant associate's degree from Shawnee State University and a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Penn State University. She has a specialty certification in pediatrics from the American Occupational Therapy Association. 

In her free time, Beth enjoys dirt biking, skiing, kayaking, and gardening.

Taylor King, OTR/L works with pediatric patients of various ages and diagnosis utilizing a play-based and family centered approach in her sessions. She has a passion for working with children on the autism spectrum, diving deeper into the “why” behind behavior, and utilizing her training in providing family centered care. Building relationships with her families is one of Taylor's main priorities as she believes through empowerment of the family and child you can foster greater independence and participation in everyday life. Through education and time spent engaging with adolescents with various mental health conditions she picked up a passion for providing trauma-informed care and hopes to be an agent of change and a safe place for her kids to attend therapy. 

Taylor earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Dixie State University followed by her doctorate degree in occupational therapy from Rocky Mountain College. During graduate school she was a URLEND trainee, where she learned not only how to prioritize pushing beyond discipline boundaries to provide the best service to children with special needs and their families, but also widen her provider lens for children with autism. She remains excited to continue growing and expanding her clinical skill set. 

Born and raised in Idaho, Taylor is excited to be back in her home state where she enjoys hiking, reading, live music, spending time with family, and playing fetch with her corgi.

Mary Kinman, MOT, OTR/L has experience treating children with a variety of diagnoses, including autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, sensory processing disorders, ADHD, and developmental delays. She enjoys working with the young adult population on executive function skills to prepare them for adulthood. She is passionate about assisting patients to achieve their highest level of functionality, and enjoys coaching and educating parents and families in order to carryover skills learned in the clinic to their home and community environments. She tailors each session to the needs of both the patient and family and what is important to them.

Born and raised in Maryland, Mary attended Saint Francis University, where she earned both her bachelor's degree in health sciences and her master's degree in occupational therapy. In her free time, Mary enjoys hiking, trying new restaurants, reading books, and playtime with her puppy.

Tiffanie Mooney, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist who enjoys working with children and young adults with a variety of diagnoses. She enjoys using a play-based approach to target goals in life skill development, emotional regulation, and executive functioning skills. Tiffanie is passionate about family-centered care and tailoring therapy goals to meet the needs of the child and their family. 

Tiffanie is originally from Idaho and earned her bachelor's degree in sociology with minors in psychology, gender studies, and family studies from Boise State University. She earned her master's degree in occupational therapy from AT Still University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and exploring the outdoors with her family.

Lynze Robison, MOTR/L uses a team-based approach and enjoys working closely with families to establish a firm foundation of skills that their kids can use throughout their lives. She has experience with various populations and settings such upper extremity dysfunctions in outpatient orthopedics, early intervention in home health, as well as a wide variety of diagnosis in outpatient pediatrics.

Lynze earned her master’s degree from the accelerated program offered at Idaho State University. In her free time, she can be found lifting weights at the gym, enjoying nature on hikes, spending time with friends, or visiting her family.  

Favorite Therapy Toy: Hammock swing 

Ann Short, MS, OTR/L is passionate about helping children reach their full potential. She believes in taking therapy beyond the walls of the clinic and working closely with the family to ensure carryover of therapeutic techniques to help meet goals. She has experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings, private clinics and home-based therapy, and has designed innovative products for occupational therapists.

Ann is experienced in working with children with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and sensory processing disorders. She also works with global developmental delays, oculomotor vision deficits, handwriting difficulties, and sensory-based feeding disorders. She has worked in both in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation, private therapy clinics, and home-based therapy.

Ann also has advanced training in sensory integration, the Greenspan DIR/Floortime Approach™, Handwriting Without Tears®, sensory/behavior-based feeding disorders, and NDT principles. She is certified in the administration of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT), advanced therapeutic listening, the Listening Program®, and interactive metronome.

Ann participates as a staff member at the annual AAC Camp, a week-long summer camp that helps kids learn to use their augmentative alternative communication devices. At the camp, she provides fun motor activities, as well as sensory processing and regulation support to campers, their parents, and camp counselors. 

Ann earned her master's degree in occupational therapy from Washington School of Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, singing, and spending time with her family and pets.

Favorite Therapy Toy: the trampoline.

Rachel Strauss, MOT, OTR/L loves working with children of all ages and has special interest in working with neurological diagnoses, oculomotor and visual perceptual skills, autism and feeding. She enjoys using a play-based approach and working closely with the family to help the child reach their goals.

Rachel earned her master’s degree of occupational therapy at the University of Mary. She grew up in Montana and has called Idaho home for several years, and in her free time, loves to explore the outdoors and spend time with her husband, friends, and family.  

Favorite Therapy Toy: Scooter Board