Helping You Understand Your Child, One Playful Moment at a Time.

A relationship-based pediatric occupational therapy program combining DIR/Floortime®, caregiver coaching, and parent education to help you build connection, confidence, and meaningful progress with your child.

Serving families in Wallingford CT, North Haven CT, Cheshire CT, Branford CT, Guilford CT, Madison CT, and surrounding Connecticut communities.

Your Child's Diagnosis May Have Changed Your Questions. It Doesn't Change Your Connection.

Maybe you recently received an autism diagnosis for your child.

Maybe you've been noticing differences in communication, play, sensory needs, or development and are searching for answers.

You love your child deeply. You want to understand them. You want to know how to help.

But you may find yourself wondering:

"What do I do next?"

"How do I connect with my child?"

"How can I support their communication and development at home?"

"How do I know what my child is trying to tell me?"

At Growing Through Play, we believe parents are the most important part of their child's journey.

You know your child better than anyone.

Our role is to teach you how to understand them.

A woman and a young boy playing with wooden blocks on a carpeted floor in a cozy living room, building a tall tower together and sharing a happy moment.

More Than Therapy. A Journey You'll Take Together.

Growing Through Play is not designed around weekly therapy appointments alone.

It is a parent-guided development program designed to give you the knowledge, tools, and confidence to support your child's growth every day.

Through a combination of pediatric occupational therapy, DIR/Floortime®, and caregiver coaching, we teach families how to understand their child's unique way of communicating, learning, playing, and experiencing the world.

Together, we focus on building:

✓ Connection and engagement

✓ Shared attention and communication

✓ Emotional regulation and sensory understanding

✓ Back-and-forth interactions through play

✓ Confidence in supporting your child's development

Because meaningful progress doesn't only happen during a therapy session.

It happens during playtime, mealtime, bedtime, and all the everyday moments you share together.

A Step-by-Step Program Designed for Your Family

Every family begins with understanding.

Through our comprehensive evaluation process, we look beyond skills and behaviors to understand the whole child—including their strengths, interests, sensory needs, communication style, and developmental profile.

From there, we create an individualized roadmap to guide your family's next steps.

Your Growing Through Play Program includes:

✓ A comprehensive developmental evaluation to understand your child's unique strengths and needs

✓ Individualized therapy sessions focused on connection, regulation, engagement, and development

✓ Caregiver coaching so you learn strategies you can use during everyday routines

✓ A parent education curriculum that teaches you not only what to do—but why it works

✓ Play-based activities and home strategies designed to fit naturally into your family's life

✓ Ongoing guidance as your child grows and their needs change

This isn't just therapy.

It's education.

It's partnership.

It's a journey you take together.

A woman with short curly hair and glasses is smiling while sitting at a table, watching a young boy with curly blond hair play with a colorful stacking toy in a cozy living room. The background has a bookshelf, decorative items, and a gray sofa with striped and solid pillows.
Diagram titled 'Your Journey. Our Partnership. Meaningful Growth Every Day' with a central photo of a woman and a young boy playing with toys. Surrounding the photo are sections describing a child development program: Comprehensive Evaluation, Individualized Therapy Sessions, Caregiver Coaching, Parent Education Curriculum, Play-Based Activities & Home Strategies, and Ongoing Guidance. Each section includes brief descriptions. The bottom has icons with text: a plant labeled 'It's Education', a book labeled 'It's Partnership', and a heart labeled 'It's a Journey We Take Together'.
Family playing with colorful building blocks on a striped rug in a cozy living room.

Why Growing Through Play ?

Many families are looking for more than someone to work with their child for one hour each week.

They want to understand.

They want to participate.

They want to feel confident helping their child grow.

Growing Through Play helps families move from feeling overwhelmed and unsure to feeling connected, empowered, and supported.

We believe children learn best through relationships, and the strongest foundation for development begins with feeling safe, understood, and connected.

Relationship-Based Pediatric Occupational Therapy in Connecticut

Growing Through Play provides pediatric occupational therapy, DIR/Floortime®, and caregiver coaching for young children with autism, developmental delays, sensory differences, and communication challenges throughout Wallingford, North Haven, Cheshire, Branford, Guilford, Madison, and surrounding Connecticut communities.

Founded by Keri, a pediatric occupational therapist, certified DIR/Floortime® specialist, and caregiver coach, Growing Through Play brings experience from early intervention (Birth to Three), pediatric outpatient therapy, and school-based services.

Our approach begins by meeting your child where they are, recognizing their strengths, and creating meaningful opportunities for growth through connection and play.

You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone.

You don't need to become a therapist.

You simply need someone who will teach you how to understand your child.

Together, we'll help your family build connection, confidence, and joyful learning—one playful moment at a time.

Ready to begin?

Schedule your complimentary consultation and discover how the Growing Through Play Program can help your family thrive.

Why Families Choose Child-Led Autism Therapy?

A woman with long braided hair kneeling on the ground, smiling and playing with a young girl. Both are wearing dresses with blue background and orange, red, yellow, and green floral patterns. They are outdoors on a paved path with green trees and grass in the background.

Ready to Learn More?

Choosing the right therapy can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to figure it out alone.

If you’re interested in relationship-based, play-focused autism therapy, reach out to learn how we can support your child and your family.

If you have been searching for:

  • “pediatric occupational therapist near me”

  • “Floortime therapy near me”

  • “play-based autism therapy Connecticut”

  • “ABA alternatives near me”

We’re here to help.