Testimonials - Little Hands

We love your email updates after sessions with our little guy. Thanks so much Kellie. You and our son are an awesome team!

Happy Marin Parent

As a local pediatrician since 2004, I have been referring my pediatric patients to Little Hands for several years now. My families have appreciated the personalized evaluation and treatment plans. They approach each case with sensitivity and an abundance of knowledge.

Kathryn Meier, M.D, M.P.H.
SF Bay Pediatrics

I have worked with Marin and SF Bay Area children for over 30 years and the Little Hands staff have remained a reliable source for high-quality, caring, and compassionate therapists who provide more than just occupational therapy. They help families learn about their children’s unique needs and help children develop skills to become more aware of their bodies and special needs. They even provide outreach and consult in schools as needed. I always highly recommend this group when making referrals for occupational therapy.

Tina Gabby, MD
Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics

As a Child Development Behavioral Specialist it is critical that I refer my clients to outstanding professionals In the Bay Area, Little Hands has become one of my primary referral sources. Their greatest gift comes in the area of direct service to children. Their thoughtful, individualized and kind approach enables the most sensitive of children to feel safe, take risks and make significant progress.

Diane Provo, M.S. Ed.
Provo and Associates

Gabi has worked with us now for a number of years at the Phoebe Hearst Preschool in San Francisco. She constantly amazes me with her ability to support the developmental needs of each child whether in a group or in a one to one situation. Over the years she has worked with many of our children and our staff and parents greatly appreciate the “magic” that she works with all her little clients.

Irene Byrne, Executive Director
Phoebe Hearst Preschool

We have greatly enjoyed working with Little Hands staff over the years and have found them to be knowledgeable, friendly, and collaborative. With being in the same building, we have had the pleasure of sharing clients and have been happy to have kids arrive more regulated and ready for group after being at Little Hands. We regularly hear kids talking positively about their experiences at Little Hands and we are so grateful to have this wonderful service in our community.

Social Learning Works
Gaye Roegiers, MS, SLP
Allie Phelps, LMFT

Thank you so much for great communication. Our daughter has also been sharing tips with us from her sessions. I've definitely noticed a 'softening' in her and a general ability to be less reactive. Thanks again for everything. OT is definitely her favorite after school activity by far. Thank you SO much. A simple email isn't thank you enough. You're really such a wonderful resource for us parents.

Parent

My son has been talking about his social group at Little Hands and how much fun he has been having. I just wanted to thank Little Hands for creating such a wonderful small group environment and fun activities for the kids. My son has been really enjoying the group and looking forward to it each day. It's so wonderful to see him being comfortable and happy in a group setting.

Parent of 6 Year Old Boy

Thank you SO much Little Hands for all your support and guidance. What started out as a rocky, scary road turned into an amazing journey in which we witnessed Our son blossom in so many ways. We know he has benefited tremendously from his sessions, and we have benefited as parents. We are so grateful for your patience, flexibility, and responsiveness to his needs. We are so grateful that he has done so well in school and at home and will never forget how you helped make that happen!

Parent of Adolescent Boy (Marin)

I just wanted to write to let you know how much we appreciate Meghan. Not only does our son adore her, but we are beyond impressed with her work and dedication. She goes so far above and beyond to make us feel comfortable, understand what she is doing with our son, and always responds so thoughtfully to our feedback and concerns. We could not be more thankful that we found Little Hands and that Meghan is our OT - though we know that all of the OT's at Little Hands are incredible!

Thanks again for the great work that you all do!

Parents of a 3 Year Old Boy

I feel very positive about therapy with Little Hands. You’ve been the first therapist who is showing this much interest and kindness, thank you for that. I’m so thankful that my child will have the support he needs in your care.

Parent of 6 Year Old Boy

My daughter has spent kindergarten to third grade attending Little Hands. She has been primarily involved in the OT program and we have loved everything about it. The therapists are amazing; they have an incredible way of connecting with the kids and make learning/working fun! She recently went through the SOS feeding school and has become desensitized to many foods that upset her previously. She has learned so much from each therapist at Little Hands. We are so sad to be leaving but also happy that she has learned enough that to graduate.

Marin Mother

My son went to Little Hands for several years. He is now a happy 5th grader at Kent Middle School and thriving. I wanted to say thank you as going to your center for several years absolutely helped with his challenges and put him in a great position to do well in school.

Marin Mother

I remember what we were feeling and the place we were in when we first began OT. We had begun receiving reports from our son’s preschool of self-regulation and behavioral challenges and weren’t able to make any real, effective change on our own. We turned to a pediatrician who in turn recommended occupational therapy and Gabi’s team. At that time, I remember feeling so hopeful about other people's "success" stories, and wondering if we might be in the same place some day. We worked with therapist LaShelle, who in her time working with our child has taught him strategies and skills that have truly transformed him. As our child learned with LaShelle, we as parents did too, gaining a better understanding of the drives behind his behavior, and what we could do at home and at school to support his needs. Our child has had an incredibly successful transition to kindergarten. Life isn’t perfect, but as part of the learning process, we know that’s not what “success” is about. We’ve left Little Hands much happier, more empowered people. It’s an absolute joy to see our child thriving at school.

Parent of Adolescent Boy (Marin)

Little Hands has been our saving grace! Our son was exhibiting issues with self-control and behavior problems after starting Kindergarten. He was extremely social and had lots of friends but this behavior was starting to hinder him and those around him. School recommended Occupational Therapy and to be honest, we didn't know what to expect. Our perception of OT was that it was for kids who needed assistance with eye-hand coordination and those who were developmentally delayed, neither of which were issues for our son. Not fully understanding how OT could help, we committed to hour sessions once a week and even attended the summer camp. It is now one year later and he is no longer displaying any of the negative behavioral issues at school. I don't get weekly phone calls or emails anymore about his behavior and we can not believe it! He shows positivity in situations that don't always favor him and is a true joy to have in class. Gabi and Jackie have been amazing to work with but truly everyone at Little Hands takes pride in the work they do with the children. We feel blessed and so thankful to work with such a loving and dedicated team.

Marin Parents

I’m writing to let you know that our son is doing wonderfully in Kindergarten. We believe the support he received at Little Hands greatly enhanced his development.

In his teacher words, "He is a role model, engaged and interactive with everything we do in the classroom, and may be the hardest worker I’ve seen in 30 years of teaching Kindergarten".

At one point we discussed getting our son evaluated by a behavioral and developmental pediatrician - but that’s clearly no longer necessary...

Little Hands delivered on your expectations of making significant improvements in 6 months of therapy - because our son has significantly improved. We’d like to thank you and your staff for the job well done.

We believe our child now has the tools he needs to be successful - thanks to Little Hands OT!

Parents from Marin

We are so thrilled with our sons progress and accomplishments. Little Hands has clearly been instrumental in his success. We have always appreciated the positive attitude and kind and patient demeanor of the team. I never heard once from our son that he didn’t want to go to OT. Little Hands is truly outstanding and I have a very high standard for any professional working with our children. We are forever grateful to Little Hands for all of the positive results in our son's life. Today was very bittersweet for our family. Our son is going to miss Little Hands tremendously and is so thankful for your team's amazing abilities to connect with and teach him. Thank you!

Marin Parents

I feel Bryant is helping our daughter on so many levels. I love that "Bryant time" has been able to have such a positive impact on her. We see an immediate benefit as well as an increased ability to identify her feelings and generalize some of the strategies or employ tools she is learning. She enjoys OT, and she has really connected with Bryant (she thinks you're the bee's knees Bryant!). There are few activities I feel certain our daughter will feel good doing, as her mood and how she experiences any given activity can vacillate a great deal for a variety of reasons. OT is something she feels good doing. It is an incredible relief to me as a parent, as well as to our daughter (we even have a special apres-OT walk that we do to celebrate how good she feels). We are grateful for Little Hands and that our daughter has the opportunity to experience OT with Bryant!

Marin Parent

Little Hands is amazing! Their work on our son’s self-regulation and social skills has made such a difference in our lives. At recess at school, he went from hanging on the teachers last year to now running around with lots of friends and having a blast. His teachers have also noticed what a difference occupational therapy has made in the classroom. The Little Hand teams is successful because they get to know each child as an individual. Our son loves to go to OT because they make it fun!

Parent from Larkspur

Julie Thomas

Tyler Hicks

We are incredibly grateful to have worked with Little Hands for a little over half a year. My son immediately bonded with our therapist. She was fun, engaging, sincere and professional. She helped me learn so much about a child's eating process and food/sensory tolerance that I would never be able to comprehend on my own! It helped us lower our expectations of our son during mealtime and therefore reduced the anxiety in our home during our meals. Our relationship with our son improved and as a result, his willingness and trust in us to try new foods grew! He went from eating very few foods to tasting cheese (something he vowed to never eat) at Cow Girl Creamery in the Ferry Building. He now loves sampling foods at farmer's markets and having a much healthier relationship with food in general. Our therapist also had one on one meetings with me during some of the low moments of our journey together when our son would just not eat - it was helpful to have a parent session to voice my concerns and to help get us back on track when we became anxious about our son's eating. I am happy to speak to and/or answer questions for any parents interested in working with Little Hands to help their child.

Parent from Marin

Little Hands OT has been a godsend for our family. My son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at age 3 and since then I have received several OT supports through home and school. He is now almost 7 and I have tried over the years to find a good occupational therapist that could work with our family and nothing ever seemed to click. I called Gabrielle after a recommendation from a friend and I am so glad I did. Gabrielle is thorough, on top of it, and has so many innovative ways in helping my son get his sensory needs met. She did a site visit at our school; which led to a wonderful sensory diet; which has truly helped him out. She also has educated the staff on his needs and how it can help him with focus and direction. He has had many successful days at school since implementation! At home she gave me practical advice and wonderful ideas on things to help him out. We are truly looking at a wonderful kid who is happier now that he is better regulated. He is feeling better about himself and able to ask for what he needs. Truly a wonderful experience. Little Hands OT has really made a difference!

Family in Petaluma
(Parent of 6 year old boy)

The Little Hands team have been amazingly helpful to my daughter and, as a result, our family. I feel like we have a plan put in place by experts, with excellent collaboration with her school, and I get detailed regular reports on her progress. She is making great strides, and it is in large part due to the work we’ve done with Little Hands OT.

Parent of a 5 year old girl

The therapists at Little Hands OT are incredibly nurturing, friendly, compassionate, organized, professional, are wonderful with kids of all ages and work extremely hard to help your child reach their potential. In just nine short months our son has made an incredible transformation from being a scared and cautious child who had many physical limitations to a confident child who tries things that he never would have even thought of trying just nine months ago and it’s because of all the work of the therapists at Little Hands OT. Furthermore, the therapists’ have an innate ability to make each child feel safe, comfortable, and loved. I highly recommend Little Hands OT to any parent who wants their child to reach their greatest potential while in the hands of a therapist who truly cares about their child and their child’s future.

Parent of 3 year old boy

As an educational specialist I believe the foundation for a child’s optimal learning is a regulated sensory system. Gabi provides her extensive knowledge, expertise, and experience to develop an individualized program which lays this critical layer for successful learning. The sensory tools she provides enable me to be a more effective educator. Gabi equips each child I refer with a personal tool kit that can be used at home, school, and in daily life.

Stephanie Fambrini
Learning Specialist
MS Full Circle Learning

Our son Matthew has benefited greatly from the trustworthy, loving and kind support. He had never been to an OT before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but the team was warm, informative and quite knowledgeable. They were able to pin-point his problems and put into place a therapy that, in this short period of time, has made a tremendous difference in how our son learns, listens and behaves. The team has given him, and us, the confidence that our son will be able to use to handle his issues throughout his life. Thanks Little Hands!

Parent of 8 year old boy

My son has been going to LIttle Hands OT for almost two years now. It truly is the best environment for him. His therapists have been so attentive, caring and nurturing. They are always open to listening and sharing things that we can incorporate at home. Their energy is tireless and they put so much love into everything they do. My son looks forward to going and has developed very strong bonds with his therapist. The changes we have seen in him and the growth in so many areas is so rewarding for him and us. We are so grateful for everything they have done.

Parent of 6 year old boy

It has been amazing watching our son progress this year in Kindergarten. He has thrived this year due to the foundation from his preschool and all of the help he has received from Little Hands OT. He has been given tools and strategies to help him succeed at his school as it relates to socialization, handwriting, and sensory integration. They truly care about him and our family and it shows in everything that they do.

Parent of 6 year old boy

Mandie Cantril

Little Hands Occupational Therapy has been a wonderful resource for my children. I am continually impressed with the therapist’s quick grasp of the therapeutic challenges at hand, and their ability to outline a program taking into account each child’s personality. It is this holistic approach which accounts for their success – along with the fact that they are able to make learning fun.

Parent of 7 and 8 year old brothers

After years of collaborating with Gabi in individual sessions and social skills groups, I have seen her work magic with the children she treats. Her energy, enthusiasm, patience, and genuine concern for each child, combined with her strong clinical skills, make her an effective therapist whom children adore. She has a way of tapping into each child’s strengths and interests to make him or her feel capable, motivated, and successful.

Jamie Kintz
Speech-Language Pathologist

Little Hands OT has been extremely beneficial for our son and our family. Our son has been going twice a week for three years and has made significant progress. What started out as a lot of fine motor skill work and developing a good daily sensory diet has now evolved into individual and group sessions. These sessions have helped him socially and also provided him with practical experience in managing his daily frustrations and challenges associated with his sensory processing issues and ADHD. We can’t imagine where our son would be right now without all of their help and guidance. Thanks Little Hands from the bottom of our hearts!

Parent of a second grade boy

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