Dr. Kali Penders
Owner
Doctorate of Physical Therapy
Being active and practicing wellness was instilled in Kali from an early age. She grew up playing judo, basketball and softball. She learned how activity correlates to wellness in a child that expands to a lifelong skill.
Kali studied at Northeastern University where she gained diverse clinical experience at the major hospitals in Boston and graduated with her Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy and certification in early intervention. Kali has over 18 years of experience in Pediatrics from Shriner's Hospital in Springfield, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Yale Pediatrics, Schools and Birth To Three settings. And a certification in NDT.
Specializes in the following:
- Prematurity
- Torticollis/plagiocephaly
- Neurological/genetic disorders
- Orthopedic injuries
- NDT (neuro-developmental treatment)
Dr. Kellie Belledonne
Doctorate of Physical Therapy
Kellie grew up in Massachusetts where dance and soccer were her activities of choice. She enjoys hiking with her dog and Husband.
Kellie studied at BU where she obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She has experience working in private pediatric outpatient clinics, birth to three, Yale Pediatrics, as well as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Specializes in the following:
- Gross Motor Delay
- Torticollis/Plagiocephaly
- Toe Walking
- Neurological/Genetic Disorders
- Adaptive Equipment (static/mobile standers, adaptive walkers)
- Hypermobility Conditions
- Orthotic Evaluations
Maegan Onofrio, M.S. CCC-SLP
Maegan attended Duquesne University where she received an M.S. in Speech Language Pathology. Her professional interests include providing intervention for Birth to Three, pediatric feeding disorders, expressive and receptive language disorders, stuttering and articulation. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, coaching high school softball, and going on hikes with her two shepherds Nova and Zulu.
Specializes in the following:
- Articulation Disorders
- Aphasia
- Expressive and Receptive Language Delays
- Stuttering Disorders
Liz Traversaz, M.S.CCC-SLP
Liz grew up on the shoreline and was inspired by her younger brother to become a speech language pathologist. She attended Southern CT State University for her undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders and earned her Masters of Science in Speech Language Pathology from University of Reading in the U.K. in 2017.
Liz has worked in a variety of pediatric settings in CT including Birth to Three, outpatient clinics, and schools. Her clinical interests are in neonatal difficulties that impact feeding, as well as neurological and genetic conditions.
Some of Liz's favorite things include walking at Hammonasset, reading a good book, and enjoying a beach day with her family.
Specializes in:
- Early Development
- Speech Sound Disorders
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Pediatric Feeding Disorders
Erin Feeney, OTRL
Erin graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Allied Health Sciences and received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Bay Path University. Her passion is working with the pediatric population and creating fun and motivating therapeutic activities to help children achieve their goals. In her spare time, Erin enjoys playing basketball, reading fiction novels, and spending time with her nephew.
Specializes in the following:
- Feeding Therapy
- Fine Motor Delay
- Sensory Processing Disorders
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
Chelsea Bradley, OTR/L
Chelsea attended the University of Washington where she received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. She started her OT career in Seattle before moving east to live closer to family. She has two children, a toddler boy and an infant girl, and enjoys being outdoors with her family and dog. Professionally she has a diverse background working in an outpatient pediatric clinic, Birth to Three, and school settings as an OT. She loves that with Occupational Therapy you are able to follow a child’s lead and motivate through preferred activities and play achieving child and family specific goals.
Specializes in:
- Feeding therapy (SOS approach for picky eaters)
- Sensory processing disorders
- Autism Spectrum Diagnoses
- Executive Functioning
- Fine motor delays
- Handwriting and typing development
Anne Koba, OTR/L
Anne has over 30 years of experience in occupational therapy. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University, and a Master’s of Science in Special Education with a concentration in Assistive Technology from Southern Connecticut State University. She has practiced in both school-based and early intervention settings. Additional to Coastal KIDS, Anne is employed as a full-time assistant professor at the University of Hartford in the Occupational Therapy Program.
Specializing in the areas of:
- Assistive technology
- Emotional regulation
- Sensory processing
- Fine Motor development
- Activities of Daily Living
Julie McDermott, OTR/L
Julie graduated from Quinnipiac College with a BS in Occupational Therapy. She has over 30 years of clinical experience working in the school systems (PreK-12) and adolescent behavioral health programs. Her passion is to work with the pediatric population and their families to provide purposeful activities that will enhance their confidence and independence. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading and spending time with her friends, family and dog Phoebe.
Specializing in the areas of:
- Sensory Processing
- Emotional Regulation
- Autism Spectrum
- Teenage/Adult Life Skills/ADL's
- Handwriting Skills
- Fine Motor Skills
- Visual Processing Disorders
Testimonials
"When Kellie first met us, our 11 month old was not sitting (and in fact resisted being placed into that position). He had an umbilical hernia and weak core and was not particularly motivated to get moving. Kellie identified several exercises each week that we would work on and he made constant progress. In 2 weeks he was sitting unaided for over a minute and in 2 months, starting to crawl. What was particularly wonderful was how his personality blossomed during this time, he loved his new independence. Kellie is knowledgable and able to motivate him to work hard. It’s easy to rave about someone who helps your child, but she also clearly cares for him and battled our insurance company tirelessly for coverage so we could continue care. Highly recommend."
"Chelsea is professional and knowledgeable. She is patient and supportive. I feel very confident in her ability to help us develop a program to address Jacob's limitations. We are excited to work with her!"
"We are THRILLED with Coastal Kids and only wish we made the move over to their services sooner! SLP Maegan has been wonderful to work with. She's been very flexible in scheduling, allowing us to find the time our 3 year old is the best possible participant, communicative in all of his progress and setting realistic goals/expectations, and has adapted each session to how he learns best. Cannot recommend this practice as a whole highly enough. In home services are just the icing on the cake!"
"I can’t recommend Coastal kids more highly!!! They were incredible. My son was behind with physical milestones at 1 years old but Kellie can in and identified where his weaknesses were and gave him exercises to strengthen him in these areas. He is now fully caught up w milestones!!!!
With Kellie’s help, my son then started to get his balance but wasn’t figuring out how to stand easily when he lost balance. Kellie taught him how to do this and he took off and was walking non-stop.I can’t say enough about the support they gave and the success that they enabled my son to have.
They really solved my son’s issues. I will always be extremely grateful!!!!"
"My son's OT Dana is professional, well prepared, and uses her time wisely when working with him. Goals have been clearly defined and she knows how to best motivate him to succeed in meeting his goals. I have been very impressed with her work during these first eight weeks and I already see measurable improvement in several areas. "
"I am having a wonderful experience with Coastal KIDS. Both Dr. Kali and Dr. Kellie are amazing. They are supportive, kind, and take the time to help me understand what I could be doing to best support my baby's development. I am seeing amazing progress with their help and I would recommend them to everyone who needs their services."
“Our son J has been seeing Kali since he turned 2, and from the very beginning we knew that Kali was a special person. J immediately responded to Kali, her sweet voice and cheerful, silly encouragement. To this day she is one of the only people that can get him to put in hard work, and she still gets lots of hugs and kisses! She is a professional, kind, effective, and gentle therapist. We would highly recommend Kali Penders to anyone in need of PT for their child. We love her!!!”
“Does anyone need a truly, amazing Physical Therapist for their little one? I am thrilled to share that I have just learned that B's former Physical Therapist, Kali Penders, who is the best he’s ever worked with and is just wonderful overall, has started her own practice in our town! I’m so excited that she has started her own practice and has the flexibility now to come to our homes for full, one hour sessions! I’ve been wanting her to do this for years!”
"Kali has been working with my daughter for several months now and has really helped to make some major breakthroughs in her care! I have always felt she is very knowledgeable, caring, and great to work with. It is also a major plus to have in home PT as our schedule is very tight. She does an amazing job keeping my 5 yo attention throughout the full hour of therapy which is a task on its own! My daughter looks forward to her sessions each week!"
"Kali is a phenomenal PT! She was right on helping my athletic 10 year old who developed knee pain right at the peak of basketball and dance season. Kali explained the anatomy and cause of pain (patellofemoral pain syndrome) in a way my daughter understood to help her take care of her knee. She gave us a structured and manageable home program to reduce pain and increase strength in her weak muscles. Thank you for your patient approach and for sharing your extensive knowledge in a way we could understand!