Joleen R. Fernald Pediatric Therapy Services

12/04/2025

🎅✨ Selective Mutism + Santa: Supporting Brave Moments ✨🎅

For many children with Selective Mutism, meeting Santa isn’t just exciting—it can feel overwhelming. A new grown-up, unfamiliar environment, pressure to talk, bright lights, long lines… That’s a lot for a nervous system to handle. 💓

Let’s remember:
Talking is not the goal. Feeling safe is.
Once children feel safe, speech has room to grow. 🌱

Here are supportive ways to prepare:

🎁 Before the Visit
✔️ Show pictures/videos of Santa and the location
✔️ Practice saying or showing what they’d like (drawing, pointing, AAC, writing)
✔️ Try on the outfit in advance to help with sensory comfort
✔️ Create a “plan” together (Where you’ll sit, if they want to stand by you, etc.)

🎄 During the Visit
💜 Let your child choose how to engage
💜 Encourage non-verbal communication (waves, high-fives, showing a list)
💜 Sit with them—YOU are their safety base
💜 Remind Santa helpers: No pressure to talk!

❄️ After the Visit
👏 Celebrate effort, not speech:
✨ “You were so brave.”
✨ “You stayed close to me when you needed to.”
✨ “I saw how you showed Santa your list!”

🌟 Progress isn’t measured by words.
It’s measured by safety, regulation, and connection.
That’s how confidence grows—one supported moment at a time. 💚

🎁🎅♥️

12/01/2025

✨ “Something has changed within me…” ✨
In this clip, you’ll hear me sing one of my favorite lines from Wicked:
“Something is not the same. I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game…” ✨

These lyrics from Wicked have always spoken to me—but today, they reflect my professional journey in a whole new way.

For years, I practiced in ABA-based environments because that’s what was taught, expected, and widely accepted. But deep down, I knew something didn’t fit. I saw incredible, neurodivergent children being asked to comply instead of connect… perform instead of be understood… cope instead of feel safe.

And then I discovered DIRFloortime—a developmental, relationship-based model that finally aligned with what I always believed:
🌱 Co-regulation over compliance
🌱 Connection over control
🌱 Joyful engagement over forced responses
🌱 Seeing the child, not the behavior

DIR gave me the language, the framework, and the permission to trust my instincts and honor every child’s nervous system, individual differences, and emotional world.

So in true musical-theater spirit… I changed the lyric:
🎶 “I’m defying ABA.” 🎶

Stepping into DIR wasn’t just a professional shift—it was coming home to the way I always wanted to support children.

Here’s to following our values, trusting our hearts, and choosing approaches that put relationship and regulation at the center. 💚✨

11/27/2025

🍁 Feeling Extra Thankful This Season 🍁

As we move through the holidays, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible families and clients who make our work so meaningful. Every day, we’re invited into your journeys—your celebrations, your challenges, your breakthroughs, your quiet wins—and it is truly an honor.

Thank you for trusting us.
Thank you for partnering with us.
Thank you for showing up with courage, curiosity, and heart.

Your children remind us daily of the power of connection, co-regulation, play, and relationship-based learning. We are grateful for every moment we get to support them in discovering their voice, confidence, and joy.

From Victoria and I to your family… we are thankful for you. 💛

11/25/2025

🎉 A Very Happy (Belated) Birthday to Victoria! 🎉

We may be a day late, but our gratitude for you is always right on time. ❤️

Victoria, thank you for all the heart, patience, and expertise you bring to our clinic every single day. Your dedication to supporting neurodivergent children, your DIRFloortime approach, and your genuine connection with families make such a powerful difference.

You are a bright light on our team, and we appreciate you more than words can say. 💛

Help us wish Victoria an amazing year ahead — full of joy, growth, and all the things that make her smile! ✨🎂🌿

11/24/2025

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has released a powerful new statement urging physicians and clinicians to expand their recommendations for autistic children to include developmental, relationship-based interventions like DIRFloortime®.

As we enter a season centered around gratitude and connection, this acknowledgment feels especially meaningful. We are deeply thankful to see national leaders recognizing the importance of child-led play, emotional engagement, and supportive relationships in helping children thrive.

Even more encouraging, the Academy is calling on insurance companies to reimburse these relationship-centered services, making them more accessible for the families who need them most.

At REConnections DIR Center, we see every day how:
🌱 Play sparks growth
🤝 Relationships shape development
💛 Connection creates real, lasting change

This season, we’re grateful for progress, advocacy, and the growing recognition of approaches that honor the whole child—sensory needs, individuality, and all.

11/21/2025

11/14/2025

Exciting times!

Reconnections DIR Center

11/11/2025

🇺🇸 Honoring Our Veterans Today & Always 🇺🇸

Today on , I’m thinking about the incredible men in my own family who chose to serve our country — and I just want to say thank you. ❤️🤍💙

✨ My father-in-law, Ken — United States Air Force
✨ My dad — United States Army
✨ Uncle Paul — United States Army
✨ Uncle Stanley — United States Army
✨ Uncle John — United States Army
✨ My brother Kevin — United States Army
✨ My brother Jason — United States Marine Corps

Your courage, discipline, sacrifices, and the time you gave to protect our freedoms are not forgotten. 🇺🇸

Thank you for serving.
Thank you for showing up — then and now.

We honor you today — and every day. 💙

11/08/2025

🎉✨ HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to VICTORIA!! ✨🎉

I am SO proud to celebrate that Victoria has officially completed her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)! 🙌🧠💬

Victoria joined my practice in June of 2024 as a Clinical Fellow and has been an integral part of so many children’s success — supporting articulation, expressive & receptive language, AAC, fluency, pragmatics, selective mutism, and more. 🌱

She pours her heart into this work and shows up with compassion, presence, and thoughtful connection each day — and I am grateful for the energy, curiosity, and joy she brings to our families.

▪️ Native to Tampa Bay
▪️ BA – USF 🐂
▪️ MS – Nova Southeastern University 🦈
▪️ DIRFloortime® Certified ✔️

I cannot wait to see where your career continues to grow from here — and I am honored to be part of your professional journey. 🌟

CONGRATULATIONS Victoria, CCC-SLP!! 👏👏👏

10/31/2025

So excited to finally announce this! My practice will continue to specialize in Selective Mutism while the DIR Center will support lots of profiles.

EXCITING NEWS!!

REConnections Education Center is proud to announce the launch of our new therapeutic center: REConnections DIR Center.

REConnections DIR Center is a state-of-the-art therapy practice built fully around the DIR® (Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based) philosophy. We are committed to providing relationship-centered, child-led, developmentally respectful services to our community.

To begin, we will be offering:
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech Therapy
• Music Therapy
• Tutoring Services designed especially for homeschool learners but available to all

All services will be delivered through a DIR lens.

While many of our experienced therapists and a select group of educators from our established and successful education center will begin by offering after-school sessions, we are actively growing and hiring now.

We are currently seeking:
• Certified Educator
• Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
• Occupational Therapist (OT)

We are looking for motivated professionals who believe in developmental, play-based, relationship-driven work and who are excited to grow with a center from the ground up. Daytime availability is preferred as we begin filling daytime hours.

Our website and page will be live soon — stay tuned.

We are thrilled to continue expanding access to high-quality DIR/Floortime-based intervention in our community through both our accredited education center and now our therapy center.

If you’re interested in applying, please email info@recdircenter.com with your resume and a brief introduction about yourself.

10/28/2025

Love REConnections and partnering with the Bucalo Family Foundation!