Specializing in Speech, Occupational, & Physical Therapies

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About Thera-Play Pediatrics

At Thera-Play Pediatrics, our mission is to provide children and families with quality and consistent pediatric therapy services that maximize a child’s functional independence and quality of life. Our centers in Springdale, Fort Smith, and Harrison, AR, are strategically designed to mirror the experiences that developing children encounter within their communities.

We address your child’s global therapy needs while they enjoy what they do best: playing. For the child, his or her therapy sessions are fun, not a series of rote activities. Our goal is to maximize each child’s motivation to play throughout the therapeutic process.

Pediatric Therapy Services in Fort Smith & Harrison, AR
Pediatric Services in Fort Smith & Harrison, AR

Key Tenets of Our Approach

Mirroring Natural Environments

Learning is optimized when practice occurs under varying and random conditions, as that is how children learn about themselves and the world around them. Our main gym areas are equipped with state-of-the-art sensory-motor equipment and designed to create variable conditions that will maximize results for your child’s growth and development.

Parental Involvement

Parental involvement is a core component in all of our therapy sessions. By participating in these sessions, parents learn first-hand how to incorporate the therapeutic techniques we use on a day-to-day basis while bonding with their children in a positive, enriching environment.

Support for Families

Thera-Play introduces a whole new world of interaction, stimulation, and excitement for children with special needs. Equally important, our unique program gives parents and family members of children with special needs the opportunity to meet other parents who are dealing with similar issues, allowing them the opportunity to build support groups and create lasting friendships.

Meet the Team

Speech-Language Pathologists

Joe Agan | PhD. CCC-SLP

Joe Agan | PhD. CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Bilingual English and Spanish
Springdale / Fort Smith Clinics

 

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I completed my Master’s in Communication Disorders (1999) from the University of Houston and my PhD in Rehabilitation (2009) from the University of Arkansas. My experience includes working with children and adults in a diverse array of medical and outpatient settings. In 2015 I had the opportunity to rejoin Thera-play. Prior to returning to Thera-play, I was a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for six years.I have a passion for understanding the relationships between social, cognitive, emotional and language development in children.

I approach therapy through engaging, joint cooperative activities (e.g., play, new learning and work) that promote the development of social interaction, attention, memory and self-regulation. This cognitive focus facilitates speech, language and social skills that can be easily transferred to settings outside of the clinic. I am passionate about exploring and developing hands-on activity-based approaches to addressing speech, language, and literacy-related issues with clients in a manner that fosters independence, self-efficacy, and healthy self-identity.

An activity consists in producing some tangible outcome following an apprenticeship model of learning. For example, building a wooden model (e.g., catapult); a rubber-band airplane; bookmaking, programming a computer game or computer art (via Scratch, Android App Inventor 2 and Processing programming language). Such activity-based approaches can provide a rich and motivating context for addressing a multitude of speech therapy objectives.

The purpose of specific therapy objectives become more readily apparent to clients in activities with tangible, understandable real-world goals. Clients acquire new knowledge, vocabulary, language structures and discourse practices. Literacy skills can be incorporated in ways that highlight their usefulness within a motivating activity. As a clinician and clinical educator, I have been working on distilling these ideas, developing materials (i.e., literacy related materials) and exploring means of sharing this approach via alternative platforms with a broader audience.

In my spare time I spend as much time as possible with my son, Zach and daughter Rye. I also enjoy martial arts, computer programming, bike riding, reading, and exercising.

Marisa Spagnolo | M.S., CCC-SLP

Marisa Spagnolo | M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

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I have worked for Thera-Play Pediatrics since October 2020. I live in Fayetteville, AR with my fiance and our dog Blaze. I have worked with the pediatric population since my first job working at a daycare in 2012 and since fell in love with working with children and their families. I enjoy working with those diagnosed with ASD and feeding/swallowing therapy.
Makenna Sisson | M.C.D. CCC-SLP

Makenna Sisson | M.C.D. CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Springdale Clinic

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My name is Makenna Sisson. I am from Hot Springs, Arkansas. I completed my undergraduate degree in communication disorders in 2020 and my master’s degree in speech-language pathology in 2021 at Arkansas State University. I am passionate about working with children and watching as they grow as communicators. Some of my areas of interest are child language development and autism spectrum disorder.

Abbi Ball | M.C.D. CCC-SLP

Abbi Ball | M.C.D. CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Springdale Clinic

 | M.C.D. CCC-SLP

| M.C.D. CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Harrison Clinic

Occupational Therapists

Emily Roberts | OTR/L

Emily Roberts | OTR/L

Owner / Occupational Therapy Director

Occupational Therapist

Gillian Milton | COTA/L

Gillian Milton | COTA/L

Occupational Therapist Assistant

Springdale Clinic

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I was born in Virginia and raised near New Orleans for most of my life but am very happy to call Northwest Arkansas home. I have been happily married since 2017 and have 2 wonderful children, I went to college in New Orleans and that is where I found my passion to work with children. I thoroughly enjoy learning about reflex integration and sensory processing interventions that would assist me in creating a better learning environment for my kiddos. I joined the Thera-Play team in 2019 and I have enjoyed every minute of this team becoming like family.
Heather Petty | COTA/L

Heather Petty | COTA/L

Occupational Therapist Assistant

Harrison Clinic

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I have been married to my husband, Zach since 2011. I have two rescue dogs. I enjoy traveling and spending time with family. I chose to work with children because I believe early intervention is the top reason why children strive later in life. My interests are behavior and sensory integration. I enjoy seeing my patient’s improvement no matter how big or small!

Ben Duncan | OTR/L

Ben Duncan | OTR/L

Springdale Clinical Coordinator Occupational Therapist

Springdale Clinic

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I am originally from the Kansas City Missouri area which is also where I met and married my beautiful wife in 2018. A year later, in 2019, I finished my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. After working for 3 years in Kansas, my family and I visited Arkansas. We fell in love with the beautiful nature and decided to make NWA our home. We have one little boy and are excited to welcome a little girl into our home in June 2022. We look forward to staying in the area for many years as we raise and grow our family.

Lauren Rose | COTA/L

Lauren Rose | COTA/L

Occupational Therapist Assistant

Springdale Clinic

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I was born and raised in Arkansas and am happy to call this beautiful state home. I enjoy spending time with my family, friends and my two dogs, Oscar and Lily. When I’m not at Thera-play with my second family, you can find me curled up reading a good book, watching a movie or traveling the world. I joined the Thera-play team in September 2019. My areas of interest include school based occupational therapy, autism and sensory integration. I enjoy building lasting relationships with my patients and their families and love watching my patients learn and grow each day.
Amanda Miller | COTA/L

Amanda Miller | COTA/L

Occupational Therapy Assistant

Spingdale Clinic

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Thera-Play Pediatrics in Springdale, AR. My husband and I met in high school and have been married since 2005. While not native to Arkansas, we’re so happy we moved to such a beautiful and welcoming place. Having dedicated 10 years working in the public school system I knew I wanted to continue working with children.

Once observing an Occupational Therapist I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I received my degree in December of 2014 and began practicing as a licensed OTA in February of 2015. I really enjoy providing OT services as it involves teaching and beyond. Offering my patients additional support while attending school, daycare, online classes, etc. is an important part. I also recognize my patients play more roles than just students. These may include son, daughter, brother, sister, grandchild, or possibly even helping a caregiver at times, etc. Every occupation or task needed for each role can vary.

My passion is getting to know my patients and their families while taking these roles into account. This helps me to provide the best support possible based on that patient’s individual needs.

Cassandra Velez | OTR/L

Cassandra Velez | OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Springdale Clinic

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Heather Bellisario | OTR/L

Heather Bellisario | OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Harrison Clinic

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“I completed my bachelor’s in Health Science Education with a minor in Occupational Therapy at the University of Central Arkansas in 2019. During my time there I completed a summer-long internship for the Little Rock school systems summer programs, working with children all across the city to help them master life skills, volunteered for the Special Olympics events annually, and volunteered at a Hippotherapy clinic in Conway, AR. I continued my education in OT and completed my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at the University of Arkansas/University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences program in Fayetteville, AR in 2022. Throughout my time in school, I became passionate about Autism treatment strategies, sensory regulation strategies, and vision screenings/treatment skills – as I got to participate in specialized training to be competent in these areas. I was chosen to complete a fieldwork rotation in a Level 1 trauma center on their burn unit, which is an honor, as this is not an entry-level practice area for occupational therapists; this also gave me a specialized area of training as an OT. Throughout all these experiences, I knew that children had my heart and I would end up working in pediatrics one day as an OT.

Rebecca Clark COTA/L

Rebecca Clark COTA/L

Occupational Therapist Assistant

​Fort Smith Clinic

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I am passionate about helping children succeed at Thera-play. What makes my practice different? I was a child who experienced developmental delays going to OT, speech, and PT. I honestly think I would still be non-verbal had I not received services. I can treat and show these children by example that they can overcome their difficulties with treatment strategies to help them improve their daily lives. I can also demonstrate that with hard work and determination, their dreams are possible.  Something I am passionate about teaching is positive self-talk especially when tasks become difficult. It is common for a lot of children to be unkind to themselves when they are frustrated with a difficult task or social situation. I like to have a child reframe their thoughts to practice self-love and kindness anyway. 

Physical Therapists

Leshea Straub | PTA

Leshea Straub | PTA

Physical Therapist Assistant

Springdale Clinic

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I’ve been married to my wife since 2008 and have a mix of biological and adopted children 3 boys and 3 girls. I enjoy supporting foster care families and helping find resources to better serve children in NWA. I love the outdoors (fishing especially) and the ways it teaches us about life. Some days the outdoors is picturesque and beautiful, and sometimes it is rough and treacherous. In each scenario, I try to see it as a new opportunity for different experiences to be had. I try to learn/teach from both the beautiful and the treacherous situations in life. I love the connections I get to build with our patients and families when treating our patients. It has been a wonderful experience.

The fruits of consistent developmental care and attention improves it lends to our patients’ lives. I strive to build rapport with each patient and contour treatments to be not only effective but also enjoyable for the patient. Providing consistent structure and expectations in my treatments helps children know what is expected of them and how they can be successful. I am also certified as a Kinesio-taping Practitioner and enjoy helping patients through various taping methods.

Jeremy Helms | PTA, CKTP

Jeremy Helms | PTA, CKTP

Physical Therapist Assistant | Certified Kinesio-taping Practitioner

Fort Smith Clinic

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I have been a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) since 2008 and have been involved in therapeutic rehabilitation since 2000. I am happily married to my lovely wife since 2007 and we have 2 wonderful children, a boy (2014) and a girl (2015). When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my family. My wife and I use to travel a lot before we started to have kids, and now that they have grown some, we look forward to new adventure with them. I love drawing, listening to movie soundtracks, being outside if possible, watching movies, occasionally playing video games (if my kids let me), and reading books (though it does take me several months to finish a book).

I was inspired to pursue a career in physical therapy when I was 12 years old after having to have hip surgery. I had to learn how to walk all over again, and I had a physical therapist that specialized in pediatrics to help me recover. Since becoming a PTA, I have enjoyed getting to help children meet and exceed their developmental milestones/goals to better their quality of life, and in doing so, have helped the parents too.

Jennifer Mason | PTA

Jennifer Mason | PTA

Physical Therapist Assistant

Springdale Clinic

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I have been a Physical Therapist Assistant since 2010, I started working at Thera-Play Pediatrics in 2011. I have extensive experience working with children of all ages in school, home, and clinic settings. I enjoy helping patients’ families develop solutions to help their child overcome any challenges they may be experiencing. I strive to collaborate with our patients’ speech and occupational therapists to ensure that patients reach their full potential and are successful in all aspects of their lives. When I’m not working at the clinic, I enjoy spending time with my husband and three daughters, playing soccer, and rooting for the Razorbacks.
Haley Cornwall | PTA

Haley Cornwall | PTA

Physical Therapist Assistant

Harrison Clinic

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I am from Mountain Home, AR and currently live in Branson, MO with my Spouse and our dog, Sadie. I enjoy getting outdoors and love to visit the lakes we have here in the Ozarks. I have known from an early age that I was passionate about Pediatrics. It has been such a rewarding experience to see the difference we make in each patient and their loved ones’ lives. My goal for treatment is to build an atmosphere and experience that is effective but fun for myself and my patients as we target goals and exercise. I analyze each session and build a routine as I see fit for each child and their needs, I truly enjoy every minute of this career and enjoy building connections with each child and their families.
Kylee Bell | PT, DPT

Kylee Bell | PT, DPT

Physical Therapist | Chief Operating Officer, COO

Springdale Clinic

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I’m Kylee Bell. I’m born and raised Idahoan with a love for NWA. I played college soccer here for the University of Arkansas back in 2006, married my country bumpkin, and I stayed. 🙂 We have 3 boys ages 5 and under. We love to be active and to help serve our community.
Why are you passionate about helping children succeed in your discipline?
I’m passionate about helping kiddos succeed because I believe every child has their own special piece in the puzzle of life. I’m simply here to help facilitate and see them grow to their greatest potential. The smiles we see from the kiddos, the progress that is made in therapy, and the smiles on your faces as parents/guardians reminds me that I am making a difference, and I am so grateful to be a part of that!
What are some treatment strategies you are passionate about teaching?
I love using NDT techniques to facilitate the next best step for your kiddo in their goals. Also referencing my athletic background is so fun to see them implement the quick feedback of the tweaks we make in a short amount of time. Plus, a ton of life lessons were taught to me through athletics- this allows me the opportunity to do the same with your child and share the knowledge and wisdom I’ve gained over the years. Seeing them grow into amazing human beings is truly one of the biggest joys for me.
Chris Williams | PTA

Chris Williams | PTA

Physical Therapist Assistant

Fort Smith Clinic

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I am Chris! I have been a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) since July 2022 and started here at Thera-play in July 2022. Pediatric therapy is a combination of two passions of mine! Firstly, I volunteer with youth groups outside of the clinic all of the time! I’m told I am just a big kid myself anyways. Secondly, I am also beyond passionate about seeking improvement in quality of life through exercise! I am a firm believer that anyone can benefit from seeking an improvement in their quality of life through adopting methods and techniques in one of physical therapy’s many forms. My coworkers know that I go across the street to the gym on my lunch break, but I don’t think many of them know that I also love music and art. I’ve drawn since I was little and I’ve played on my grandfather’s guitar since I was 14. (Just don’t ask to hear my singing). I’m also a huge foodie, so my weak spot is my stomach. I love to travel and plan on doing a lot more here soon. People who know me, know that I don’t spend a lot of time sitting down. I am very passionate about what I do in my work, my hobbies, and my passion for my community.

New Staff | PT

New Staff | PT

Physical Therapist

Springdale Clinic

Office Staff

Emily Roberts | OTR/L

Emily Roberts | OTR/L

Owner / Occupational Therapist

Stephanie Franklin

Stephanie Franklin

Regional Office Manager

Fort Smith Clinic

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Me and my husband moved to Arkansas in March 2010 from our native state of Texas. I am a mother of 2 sons, 1 daughter and 3 dachshunds. I am also a grandmother. I completed my undergraduate coursework at the University of North Texas. Majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology with a concentration in Forensics. I have a true passion for US History and love collecting antique glass. I enjoy antiquing, visiting history museums or places of history and spending time with my family.
Kerra Thompson

Kerra Thompson

Prescription & Prior Authorization Specialist

Fort Smith Clinic

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My name is Kerra Thompson and I am from Van Buren, Arkansas where I graduated in 2002. I attended the U of A @ Fort Smith and Ultimate Medical Academy with a Certification in Medical Administration. I am happily married to my husband Clint. We have 3 children, 2 girls and 1 boy and 2 dogs. My family and I enjoy kayaking, camping, fishing, and many other outdoor activities.

Hollie Roberts

Hollie Roberts

Administrative Assistant

Harrison Clinic

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I have been the administrative assistant for the Harrison clinic since June of 2020. I have been married since 2002 and have 3 children of my own. I enjoy spending time with my family and helping my husband with the youth ministry at our church. I have a background in early childhood education that makes me very passionate about our mission here at Thera-play. I handle scheduling and all other office
responsibilities for the Harrison clinic. I love to build relationships with the parents that come in the clinic and strive to provide a positive experience for all of our patients.

Norma Carlos

Norma Carlos

Receptionist

Fort Smith Clinic

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Receptionist

Liz Smith

Liz Smith

Administrative Assistant

Springdale Clinic

For trusted pediatric therapy services, contact us today!

Phone: 479-856-6400
Fax: 479-856-6623

Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Phone: 479-434-2371
Fax: 479-434-2009
Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Harrison Clinic

916 Goblin Drive
Harrison, AR 72601

Phone: 870-204-5330
Fax: 870-280-5630
Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed