Meet Our Team

Miriam Skydell, MS, OTR/L

Founder and Director

Miriam Skydell, a pediatric OT with 30 years experience, developed the Sensory Bounce® program in 2013 to enable special needs children to receive therapy in a fun, natural play environment their typically-developing peers often enjoy. Miriam designed this groundbreaking program, available nowhere else in the United States, to help integrate sensory needs and social skills for the child, while parents simultaneously meet to support each other, resulting in the optimum benefit for both parent and child.

Ms. Skydell’s credentials include a Masters degree from NYU (1986) and membership in the AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association). She is a licensed Interactive Metronome® and TLP (The Listening Program®) provider. She has taught Handwriting Without Tears® (HWT) and helped to implement the HWT curriculum in many public and non-public school settings throughout New Jersey.

Miriam performs annual preschool screenings for numerous preschools in Bergen County, as well as lectures extensively for parent and support groups and at teacher conferences. Through her private practice in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, Miriam has helped countless children with a wide range of diagnoses improve functional living skills and meet their individual potentials. Miriam Skydell and Associates was established in 1995 and contracts experienced OTs, PTs and STs to various private and public school districts in Bergen, Hudson and Essex counties. Miriam and her Sensory Bounce® program have been featured in many media outlets across the US, ranging from parenting magazines to newspapers and periodicals to FiOS1 News.

Miriam believes in helping parents focus on the strength and abilities of each child while incorporating behavior plans and strategies to foster success. Her practice is based on the DIR Floortime model of child-driven therapy and she has gained recognition for her particular expertise with children ages 2-10. With autism spectrum disorders and ADHD becoming a reality for so many parents, Miriam has focused her practice on working with children and their parents on managing the impact of the sensory processing dysfunction associated with these diagnoses.

Miriam Skydell is firmly committed to making a positive difference in the lives of special needs children and their families. She brings her love for children, her personal understanding of parents struggling with a special needs child, and her 30 years of therapy experience to every session. She takes pride in offering a nurturing and caring environment where children and their parents will feel safe and secure to explore, take risks and overcome challenges.

Nicole Mieczkowski

Location: Smithtown, NY

My name is Nicole; I am a graduate of Sacred Heart University Occupational Therapy program and I have been a pediatric OT for about 2 years. My favorite thing about my job is being able to connect with kids and help them grow through play! I have been working with Sensory Bounce for about 8 months. It is such a unique experience because it allows me to see children outside of the school setting. Not only do I get to coordinate different games for strengthening or sensory needs, but I also get to help the children grow socially and make new friendships within the Sensory Bounce group

Teresa Gibson

Location: Brooklyn, NY

I have over 15 years of extensive work experience with children in early intervention, preschool, and school-aged. I have had the opportunity to learn to think on my feet, and spontaneously create and adjust therapeutic activities to the temperament, personality, and learning needs of each child. I have experience working with children with attention deficit disorder, sensory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, torticollis, and children who are on the autism spectrum. I take every opportunity to promote and educate parents, administration, staff, and other therapeutic disciplines on how to incorporate therapeutic activities into the child’s daily routine, which helps accomplish therapy goals. As a therapist, the quest of knowledge strengthens my ability to provide the best care. It is my professional belief that every child is a success story waiting to be discovered. My greatest joy as a therapist is witnessing and aiding a child accomplish their goals.

I have had the pleasure of being a member of the Sensory Bounce family for the last year. It has afforded me the opportunity to have a unique experience with working in a group setting. The equipment which the facility provides allows the children to achieve the necessary amount of sensory input for self-regulation to participate in group activities. My favorite part is watching relationships form and the group members adapting to changes. I have seen children who were socially withdrawn with limited expressive language in just a few months initiate a game with peers.

Jennifer Schmidt

Location: Lake Worth, FL

My favorite part about being a pediatric OT is seeing a child smile when they accomplish something for the first time. Helping a child learn a new skill and witnessing their joy is the best reward of all. The most unique part about working with Sensory Bounce Therapy is being able to address goals of therapy in such a fun, interactive and playful environment. The children literally are having so much fun jumping, climbing and bouncing that they do not even realize they are actually working on strengthening balance and coordination skills. And one of the best parts about the program is the opportunity to address social skills including turn taking, requesting, sharing and good sportsmanship while having so much fun bouncing! I have worked for Sensory Bounce since January of 2018 and have loved every minute of it

Amberlynn Slavin

Location: Santa Clara, CA

I received my undergraduate degree from Springfield College with a BS in Fitness and exercise Science and Sports Studies and Physical Education, and a minor in Athletic Coaching. I received my master's degree in OT at Springfield College, and have been practicing occupational therapy since graduating in 2015. Besides Sensory Bounce I work in a school-based setting, a multi-disciplinary pediatric facility, a skilled nursing facility, and in assistive technology. I LOVE being an OT! Helping children and their families overcome challenges brings me so much joy. When I see their eyes light up after having completed a previously impossible task, it makes my heart happy. Sensory Bounce Therapy allows me to express myself creatively and my families appreciate the personalized treatment I give them. It's a wonderful natural play environment that is fun for children and therapist. I have been with Sensory Bounce just over 3 months. While completing my occupational therapy graduate fieldwork, I came up with the idea for an assistive technology app called SnapType. The app is now helping over 2 million students worldwide to keep up with their peers in the classroom.

Deborah Korn

Location: Paramus, NJ

My name is Deborah Korn and I attended Columbia University and earned a Masters Degree in occupational therapy. I chose to become an OT in order to help children and their families become more successful in their daily lives. My favorite part about being an OT is helping children make progress, especially in the areas of self-help and sensory processing. I has been working for Sensory Bounce since May 2017. Working for Sensory Bounce is unique because the children get to work on their goals as a group, and pretty much become a family.

Erin Staum

Location: Eagan, MN

My name is Erin Staum and I have been a practicing COTA for 4 years. I enjoy working with children and have grown up being a nanny of 5 children, babysitting, worked in the church nursery and Sunday school as a teacher to pre-school to 6th grade. In my free time I enjoy fishing, shopping and spending time with my husband, friends and family. My favorite part about being a pediatric OT is enjoying the change and growth in each child while providing education and increased normalcy for parents and teachers. Sensory Bounce Therapy is a wonderful program that allows children to play while learning social skills and gaining gross motor skills. I also love how it allows parents a time to collaborate and discuss issues with one another. I have just begun my time with Sensory Bounce in Eagan, MN and love it and what it provides to children and parents. It has been a good learning curve working with a larger group and it is great to teach social skills in a relaxed, fun environment.

Rochelle Kingston

Location: Brooklyn, NY

I received my Bachelors degree from New York University, and worked with the New York City Department of Education for several years as a special education teacher. In May of 2018, I graduated from Bay Path University with a Masters in Occupational Therapy. As a recent graduate, I understand the importance of incorporating evidence-based treatment interventions during each session in order to ensure that goals are being met. My favorite part about working with the pediatric population is helping a child reach their therapeutic goals through collaboration with family members. In addition, weekly activities are designed to motivate children to engage in social activities with each other. Turn taking, requesting help when needed, following directions, and communication skills (verbal or using pictorial pictures from Boardmaker) is encouraged during each session. I enjoy working for Sensory Bounce because I can tailor each session to meet the individualized needs of each child to ensure that goals are met. I joined the Sensory Bounce family in June, and my experience has been phenomenal.