Symbiosis Pediatric Therapy Inc.

Shalini and Sumanta Das established Symbiosis Pediatric Therapy Inc based on a shared vision of providing quality pediatric therapy services in an environment where children would thrive and families could meet and share their common experiences. Both of them are Occupational Therapists licensed by College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) and on the Registry for Autism Service Providers (RASP) List.

Sumanta Das has been working as an Occupational Therapist since 1997. He completed his Bachelor of Occupational Therapy followed by Post Graduation in Developmental Rehabilitation as well as Health Management. He is certified in Neuro Developmental Treatment (NDT) as well as Sensory Integration (SI). Sumanta has worked extensively with children with special needs and developmental delays such as ASD, Developmental Coordination Disorders, written output disorders and visual-motor dysfunction in different school systems, private clinics and home based intervention in various countries including India and Singapore. He was actively involved in setting up two pediatric departments in Singapore and was the chairperson of Pediatric Special Interest Group (SIG) under the umbrella of Singapore Association of Occupational Therapists for two years. He has made numerous presentations in International Conferences and is well experienced in conducting workshops for parents, teachers as well as other health care professionals.

Shalini Das has been in the field of Pediatric Occupational Therapy since 1997. Graduating as a top student in her University, she later completed her Masters in Pediatric Neurology. She has extensive international OT experiences and has worked with two private clinics in the Greater Vancouver region. Shalini has special interests in Sensory Integration therapy, Neuromotor development, handwriting skills and Assistive Technology. She is certified in Sensory Integration Therapy from University of Southern California (USA) and Neuro Developmental Therapy from NDT Association, USA. Her extensive experience with children ranging from very young preschoolers to young adults has enabled her to appreciate the issues and challenges faced by them, thereby advocating the use of family centered interventions.

Shalini and Sumanta are proud parents of two young children and their experience of raising them enables them to see a parent's perspective along with the professional's view. They strongly believe that intervention should consider all components of the child and his family: physical and mental health, diet, habits and routines, interpersonal relationships, home life, family culture, community life, and school life. They believe that parents and siblings of the clients should be an integral and valued member of the process - they are an important part of the therapeutic team.

Shu-Hyun has experience working with children of all ages with autism spectrum disorder and coordination issues, rehabilitation with individuals with acquired brain injuries, and inpatient hospital settings. Her specific area of interest includes evidence-based and family-centered practice in working with children with developmental delays and sensory-motor challenges. Her work experience is in a combination of school, home and clinic settings. In addition to direct therapy provision, Shu-Hyun has given numerous presentations and conducted workshops for schools and various interest/support groups on a variety of topics including sensory processing, fine motor skills, printing skills and self regulation.

Shu-Hyun completed her Honours Bachelor of Science specializing in Human Behavioural Biology and Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy program from University of Toronto.

Jeehwa completed her Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy program from University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB. Prior to that, she also has her Honours Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. She had been recipient of various Canadian Scholarships during her studies. She was working in South Mental Health Team, Vancouver Coastal Health prior to joining Symbiosis. Jeehwa has attended various handwriting workshops including "Handwriting without Tears" as she shows keen interest in OT's role of providing intervention and strategies for children with handwriting challenges. Her specific area of interest includes working with children with developmental delays and sensory-motor challenges.

Deborah completed her Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy program from Queen's University, Kingston Ontario. Prior to that, she completed her Bachelor of Science, Major in Kinesiology (with distinction) from University of Victoria, BC. Her specific area of interest includes family-centered practice in working with children with developmental delays and assistive technology for children with special needs. Her work experience is with children of all ages in a combination of in-patient Paediatric Mental Health unit, school and clinic settings.

Christelle Ribaille has been practicing Occupational Therapy for 3 years. She has considerable experience working with school aged and pre-school aged children who have a wide range of physical and developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), Cerebral Palsy (CP), and Down Syndrome (DS). Christelle received her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto in 2008, and completed her research project on intelligent prompting systems for children with ASD. Prior to studying Occupational Therapy, Christelle also worked closely with pre-school aged children with ASD as a Behavioural Interventionist.

Cassidy Smyrski is a certified Medical Office Assistant, and has several years experience running a medical office. She enjoys working at Symbiosis and being an integral part of a team that is dedicated to improving quality of life. Cassidy loves animals and is a volunteer with the Surrey SPCA. She is a softball player and also coaches a softball team for girls in the Surrey Storm Fastpitch organization.