Hidden Gems: Meet Carly Castillo of Playful Progress OT

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Castillo

Hi Carly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always loved kids and I knew from a young age that I would have a career in pediatrics. I’m from a family of six kids and the beautiful chaos of every day family life always felt like my comfort zone, which led me toward working with children and their families through Early Intervention.

Early intervention is a program run by the state that provides necessary therapies like occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, infant education, and behavior support therapies for kids from age birth-three years old who have developmental delays and/or disabilities. To give a little context- “occupations” are everyday activities that fill our time. For me, that includes cooking, working, driving, spending time with friends, hiking, trying new foods, and taking care of my dog. For the age group I work with, their occupations can be things like feeding, play, sleep, self-care tasks like dressing, toileting, brushing teeth, and bathing. As an occupational therapist (OT), I focus on the whole person, working with children and their families to understand what they want or need to do, what might be standing in the way of their independence, and how we can work together to reach their goals.

My journey into the world of OT started back in undergrad at North Carolina State University (go Wolfpack!). I graduated with a degree in social work, initially planning to pursue a Master’s also in social work to then work in child welfare. However, during my senior year I interned at an I/DD agency (intellectual/ developmental disability) placing one on one workers with children and adults to assist with daily life. I was working with a lot of amazing people, but one really special guy- Carter, who has Down Syndrome-changed everything about my plans for the future. Carter was thriving in ways that I ignorantly didn’t think were possible before meeting him. I saw firsthand how, with the right support from their families, therapists, and school, people with disabilities and delays can really flourish. Before this experience I had little exposure to the disability community, and I was so unaware of how our world truly isn’t designed with accommodations or inclusion in mind and what little is available has to be fought for. Through working with Carter I learned what occupational therapy was, and I realized that helping people be able to live their lives to the fullest was what I wanted to spend my career/life doing.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey to becoming a pediatric OT and starting my practice, Playful Progress OT, has been challenging, but I have been lucky enough to have a small army of supporters in my corner including countless mentor therapists, amazing colleagues in the field, and a very patient group of family and friends who have helped me along the way. I discovered OT when I was about to graduate from NC State, and it took me three years after undergrad of taking night classes after work to finish pre-requisites and shadow as many OTs as I could. I went to East Carolina University to get my Master of Science in Occupational Therapy which took another two and a half years. I then moved from North Carolina to San Diego as I was starting my career and, like most people fresh out of school, I dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome initially. Over time, I was able to see the impact that OT services can have and watching my clients progress and getting to become an important part of these family’s weeks helped me to build my confidence and eventually led to me deciding to start my own practice.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Playful Progress OT works exclusively with clients of the San Diego Regional Center to provide occupational therapy services for children aged three and younger with developmental delays or disabilities. These delays can include challenges with gross/fine motor skills, difficulty with feeding, or speech delay among others. The goals I work on are established through a very collaborative process involving the San Diego Regional Center, families, and therapists. We make sure that the goals are individualized and really encompass the child and their family’s strengths and needs and will promote independence. Together we develop a realistic and manageable plan that ensures the child’s progress in a way that is family centered.

Each session lasts an hour and I spend a lot of time beforehand preparing because toddlers, as we know, can be so unpredictable! I tailor each and every activity/ toy I choose for the session to align with the kiddo’s goals, considering what motivates them and what their strengths and areas of growth are. I work closely with parents to make sure they feel empowered to address these delays and continue therapeutic activities at home outside of therapy. Being able to assist families to build a solid foundation for these kids at such a critical age is an incredible thing to experience with them. I have the privilege of spending months and even years with the families I work with, and I’m right there with them celebrating their wins and supporting them through challenges.

To give an example, I work with a child whose goal is to start eating solid food, with a long-term goal of transitioning to eating orally and eventually having their G-tube removed. While this may seem like a simple goal, we’ve spent the last two years working on the skills needed to reach it. We have been building their strength and endurance through play to ensure they can eat safely without getting fatigued too quickly. We use pretend play with dolls to help them build concepts around food and feeding, even though they aren’t able to eat orally yet. We work on sensory issues help them become more comfortable with different textures and smells, gradually reducing oral aversions and helping them better understand food. We also focus on proper positioning in their chair and using utensils that work for them, considering their limited grip strength and smaller-than-typical mouth. So, while a goal like “eating a meal with mom and dad” might sound straightforward, as OTs, we’re able to break it down and tackle each piece so we can meet that goal. I am SOS feeding trained and I am currently completing a certificate in sensory integration through USC Chan, and I am able to use the research and teachings from these programs to ensure that the therapy I provide is evidence-based and the best strategies I can offer my clients and their families.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Right now I am working exclusively with San Diego Regional Center clients. If you’d like to work together and you are a current client of SDRC, you can request to work with me through your coordinator. If you are a parent/guardian with a child you suspect may have a delay but are not yet a client of SDRC, reach out to the San Diego Regional Center to begin the evaluation process.

Contact Info:

• Email: admin@otcarlycastillo.com
• Instagram: Carlycpediatricot

Image Credits
Kendall Castillo