Pediatric Occupational Therapy in Palo Alto, CA
Evidence-Based Pediatric OT for Palo Alto Families
TheraPeeps delivers SIPT and STAR-certified sensory integration therapy to families throughout Palo Alto, in your home, your child’s school, or their daycare. Our team holds SIPT and STAR certifications, the credential benchmarks most frequently cited in sensory integration literature, along with Board Certification in Autism and advanced training in DIR/Floortime and SOS Feeding. We welcome questions about the evidence base behind every method we use.
Many Palo Alto families come to us after Lucile Packard evaluations or referrals from Stanford Pediatrics. That clinical foundation is a strong starting point. We review prior documentation, coordinate with your child’s medical team, and build our plan to extend what has already been assessed. From Professorville to Barron Park, we come to your neighborhood so therapy happens where your child actually lives and plays. We also serve families in nearby Portola Valley, where the hillside setting doesn’t mean less access to expert pediatric OT.
OT Services for Palo Alto and PAUSD Communities
We offer the full range of pediatric OT services to Palo Alto families, delivered in your home, daycare, or private school setting. Every service is grounded in peer-reviewed frameworks, and we can walk through the research rationale for each one. Families most frequently seek us out for sensory integration work. Our SIPT and STAR certifications mean we assess and treat sensory processing differences with the rigor evidence-based practice requires.
- Sensory Integration Therapy (SIPT and STAR certified)
- Emotional and Self-Regulation
- Fine Motor and Handwriting Skills
- Feeding Therapy (SOS Approach certified)
- DIR/Floortime (10+ years trainer experience)
- Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
- Autism Support (Board Certified in Autism)
- Nature-Based Therapeutic Groups
- Developmental Skill Building (ages 0-8)
- School and Daycare Consultation
What We Evaluate and Address in Palo Alto Children
No formal diagnosis is required to begin services. Our evaluations use standardized, evidence-based tools including the SIPT, administered by SIPT-certified therapists, and are designed to give you a clear, research-grounded picture of your child’s sensory and developmental profile. Sensory integration differences and ADHD are among the most common reasons families reach out to us. Our SIPT and STAR credentials mean we approach both with assessment tools and intervention frameworks that hold up to clinical scrutiny.
Children who struggle with sensory processing, attention, or emotional regulation can find the demands of structured settings overwhelming. We work with children across a wide spectrum of needs, from the earliest ages through primary school, always from a neuro-affirming, relationship-based lens.
We support children experiencing:
- Sensory Processing Differences (over- or under-responsivity to touch, sound, movement, taste)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ADHD and Attention Difficulties
- Emotional Dysregulation and Meltdowns
- Anxiety and Avoidant Behaviors
- Developmental Delays (gross motor, fine motor, language-adjacent motor skills)
- Feeding Challenges and Food Aversions
- Handwriting and Pencil Grip Difficulties
- Difficulty with Transitions and Flexible Thinking
- Trauma-Informed Developmental Needs
Clinical Credentials and Approach for Palo Alto Families
Here is what sets TheraPeeps apart:
- Credential depth that holds up to scrutiny. SIPT and STAR certifications are not common, they require post-graduate training, supervised clinical hours, and ongoing continuing education. When Stanford Pediatrics or Lucile Packard puts sensory integration on a recommendation list, our certifications align directly with what those institutions value.
- We coordinate with your child’s medical team. If your child has been evaluated at Lucile Packard or seen specialists at Stanford, we do not start from scratch. We review prior evaluations, connect with referring providers, and build our plan to extend, not duplicate, what has already been done.
- Therapy in context, not in a clinic. Research consistently shows that skills generalize better when practiced in the natural environment. We come to your home in Palo Alto, your child’s Montessori or private school, or your preferred outdoor setting, so gains are built into daily routines from day one.
- A philosophy grounded in the science of development, not behavioral compliance. Our approach is built on Ayres Sensory Integration theory, DIR/Floortime, and peer-reviewed developmental science that centers your child’s internal experience, not behavioral output. We are happy to walk through the evidence base for every method we use.
- 20+ years of combined clinical experience. Our team has worked across hospital systems, school districts, and private practice. We bring that breadth into every home visit.
Fees, Superbills, and OON Benefits in Palo Alto
Many Palo Alto employers, including Stanford University, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and VMware, offer out-of-network benefit riders that cover pediatric occupational therapy for developmental disorders. Reimbursement levels vary by plan. We recommend calling the member services number on your insurance card and asking specifically about out-of-network occupational therapy benefits for pediatric developmental disorders before your first session.
TheraPeeps is a private-pay practice. Session fees are provided at the time of inquiry and reflect the specialized, mobile nature of our services. We provide detailed superbills after each session so you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement directly.
To discuss fees or get started, call us at (650) 204-0677 or use the Book an Evaluation button below.
TheraPeeps also serves families in pediatric OT in Menlo Park, pediatric OT in Los Altos Hills, pediatric OT in Mountain View.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our team holds SIPT (Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests) and STAR certifications, these are the credential benchmarks most frequently cited in sensory integration literature and consistent with what research institutions like Stanford’s developmental pediatrics division point families toward. SIPT certification in particular requires post-graduate clinical training supervised by a certified evaluator, and it remains one of the most rigorous standardized assessments for sensory processing available. If a provider at Lucile Packard or a Stanford-affiliated developmental pediatrician has recommended sensory integration evaluation or therapy, our credentials are squarely aligned with that recommendation.
Yes, and we strongly encourage it. If your child has a recent evaluation from Lucile Packard, a Stanford Pediatrics provider, or any other specialist, we want to review that documentation before or during our initial evaluation. We communicate directly with referring physicians, developmental pediatricians, and hospital-based teams to ensure our goals build on, rather than duplicate, what has already been assessed. Coordinated care leads to better outcomes, and we take that seriously.
We are grounded in Ayres Sensory Integration theory, which has decades of peer-reviewed research supporting its effectiveness for children with sensory processing differences, autism, and developmental delays. Our SIPT certification means we use standardized, norm-referenced assessment tools. Our DIR/Floortime approach is similarly evidence-supported, developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and refined through ongoing clinical research. The SOS Approach to Feeding is a sequential, evidence-based protocol with published outcome data. We are happy to share research citations or discuss the evidence behind any specific intervention we recommend, that kind of conversation is one we welcome with Palo Alto families.
Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) provides occupational therapy services through its Special Education department, and those services are genuinely valuable for eligible students. That said, PAUSD’s school-based OT is scoped to what is educationally necessary under the IEP, meaning it is focused on helping your child access the school curriculum, not on the broader developmental and sensory goals that may be affecting life at home, during mealtimes, or in community settings. Private OT through TheraPeeps is a common complement to PAUSD services, not a replacement for them. Families working within the PAUSD system often find that private therapy addresses the goals that fall outside the IEP’s educational mandate while school OT covers in-classroom support. We can participate in IEP meetings, share progress notes with your PAUSD team, and coordinate on specific goals with your written permission.
In-home therapy is not a lesser alternative. For many Palo Alto families, it is the option that actually fits their lives. Anyone who has tried to exit the 101 at Embarcadero during afternoon pickup, circled Stanford Medical Center’s parking structure for twenty minutes, or sat on University Avenue in backed-up Friday traffic knows that a clinic appointment across town is rarely just an appointment. It is an hour of driving, a disrupted nap, and a dysregulated child before the session even starts. When we come to your home, your child is already in their regulated environment, surrounded by familiar routines and the actual sensory landscape we are trying to address. Skills generalize better, sessions run longer, and parents are present to learn alongside their child rather than waiting in a lobby.
Ready to Get Started?
Call us today to get started, or fill out our intake form.
