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PEDIATRIC THERAPY NETWORK TORRANCE

1815 W 213th St. Suite 100
Torrance, CA 90501
Phone: 310-328-0276
Fax: 310-328-7058

PEDIATRIC THERAPY NETWORK LONG BEACH

1406 Obispo Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90804
Phone: 310-328-0276
Fax: 562-344-2975

Contact Directory

Chief Executive Officer
Terri Chew Nishimura, MA, OTR/L
310-328-0276, ext. 208
terrin@ptnmail.org

Chief Programs Officer
Rosalinda Garcia
310-328-0276, ext. 518
rosalindag@ptnmail.org

Interim Controller
Adrian Harewood
adrianh@ptnmail.org

Fundraising
Stephanie Townsend
310-328-0276, ext. 218
stephaniet@ptnmail.org

Employment
Haifah Van Der Schyff
310-328-0276, ext. 205
haifahv@ptnmail.org

Occupational Therapy
Merry Lee, OTD, OTR/L, SWC
310-328-0276, ext. 399
merryl@ptnmail.org

Speech/Language Therapy
Kathleen S. Murnen MA, CCC/SLP
310-328-0276, ext. 519
kathym@ptnmail.org

Camp Escapades
Karen Rodriguez, MS, OTR/L
310-328-0276, ext. 364
karenr@ptnmail.org

Physical Therapy
Nancy Smith, PT, MPT
310-328-0276, ext. 321
nancys@ptnmail.org

Early Intervention
Kimberlee Elliott, MSW
310-328-0276, ext. 504
kimberleee@ptnmail.org

Early Head Start
Araceli Espinoza
310-328-0276, ext. 217
aracelie@ptnmail.org

Social Skills & Community Integration
Abbie Gregory, OTD, OTR/L
310-328-0276, ext. 310
abbieg@ptnmail.org

Marketing & Communications
Heather McGuire
310-328-0276, ext. 361
heathermc@ptnmail.org

Products
Pam Milroy
310-328-0276, ext. 327
pamm@ptnmail.org

Early Start Denver Model
Ashley Sellers, MS, CCC-SLP
310-328-0276, ext. 302
ashleys@ptnmail.org

Telehealth
Bindi Gudhka, MA, OTR/L
310-328-0276, ext. 365
bindig@ptnmail.org

Connect With Us

ptn4kids

An early child development and therapy center serving children with special needs in Torrance & Long Beach.

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Work on jumping, squatting, identifying colors, following directions, improving fine motor skills, and developing speech and language skills with these fall-themed activities created by PTN’s early intervention team! Click the link in our bio for the activities.

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We are excited to introduce Building Successful Mealtimes, our new group program for children with feeding, eating, and swallowing difficulties. Building Successful Mealtimes is designed specifically for caregivers of young children six months to five years of age who have feeding delays, including oral-motor delays, sensory-based feeding issues, or dysphagia concerns. The program's goals are to advance the child's skills in feeding, eating, and swallowing. At the same time, caregivers learn strategies to use at home and in the community to promote positive mealtime experiences. If you are interested in joining this group program, contact Joan Surfus at joans@ptnmail.org. For more information, click the link in our bio.

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Support PTN and make double the difference! Your donation will be doubled as every donation is being matched by a generous donor in honor of our 24th Anniversary. No donation is too small to make a big impact. Thank you for supporting the children and families of PTN. Click the link in our bio to donate. #PTNis24

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Ready to find educational books, sequin pillows, and cozy PTN socks? Check out our Sensational Shop and enjoy 24% off in celebration of our 24th anniversary! Click the link in our bio to shop.

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On Sunday, October 25, the Assistance League of San Pedro-South Bay hosted its annual Halloween event for the children in our early intervention programs. Families were able to drive through the PTN parking lot to pick up goodie bags, pumpkins, and take-home activities! The Assisteens are a volunteer group of young women and men in grades seven to 12 who work together to develop a sense of community responsibility, self-reliance, and leadership skills. Thank you, Assisteens, for generously hosting this fantastic event for our families every year.

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In our social skills and community integration program called Buddy Club, we teach kids social skills to stand up for themselves confidently. One of the strategies we use is called "Brave Talk," which describes the type of voice, facial expression, and body language used to express a want or need confidently or to stand up for yourself. Using Brave Talk involves:

• A serious face (not mean or silly)
• A serious voice (not too loud, soft, silly, or whiney)
• Body language (body facing the other person with shoulders down, posture straight, and head up with eyes looking at the person you are talking to)
• A calm body
• Good personal space

When you start to act bravely, you begin to feel brave, which can improve self-confidence levels. Brave Talk can be used when ordering from a menu, telling someone your opinion, asking to take a turn or join a game, asking for help, or standing up for yourself or others. If someone is doing something that you don't like, such as bullying you or someone else, Brave Talk is a tool you can use to tell them how it makes you feel and that you would like them to stop. By using Brave Talk, it often helps us feel braver and more confident, which can also prevent kids from becoming victims of bullying.

Click the link in our bio to learn more about our social skills and community integration programs.

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It's World Occupational Therapy Day! This year's theme is 'Reimagine Doing,' a relevant message for a year when we have all been required to re-evaluate, re-think, and re-engineer how we engage in our daily activities. At PTN, our occupational therapists facilitate children's participation in activities such as playing, learning, and socializing with friends so that they can interact in everyday environments at home, school, and in the community. We appreciate our occupational therapists and all they do for the children and families at PTN! #WorldOTday

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Today is the 24th, and we would like to share a milestone moment in celebration of PTN’s 24th Anniversary! Meet Jonny Pierce. He’s outgoing, happy, loves to laugh and be silly. It can be difficult for Jonny to make conversations, but he tries to engage with others the best he can. He will be turning 27 years young in just a few weeks and enjoys golfing, playing volleyball, riding trains, and is a very talented artist. Fun facts: Jonny knows everything about Disney and remembers everyone’s birthday! Jonny was one of PTN’s first clients back in the late ’90s, and today he is a record-breaking swimmer! Jonny has qualified to be a part of the US National Paralympic swim team for the past four years. Fortunately, he got back to swim practice in June and is getting back to where he was before the pandemic closed all his swim activities. Jonny will be going to the US Trials in Minnesota next June and hopes to compete in the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Some of his team members refer to Jonny as the “heartbeat” of the team, and his strong work ethic makes others want to work harder too. His dad Tim shares, “I know as parents when Jonny was young, my wife Irene and I never thought he would develop into the person he is today. It’s hard to believe that 24 years ago, Jonny was coming to PTN for physical therapy every week, and to see him now still amazes us. Jonny made great strides working at PTN, and we will forever be grateful.” We will be rooting for Jonny to represent us in the 2021 games in Tokyo! Join us in celebrating Jonny and all of our inspirational alumni by supporting our 24th Anniversary Matching Fund Challenge. Please help us reach our goal by donating or spreading the word about this exciting opportunity for PTN, link in bio. #MilestoneMoments #PTNis24

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Meet Lincoln, a happy and energetic three-year-old with an infectious smile and laugh. His current favorite past times are water play, coloring, and watching Bubble Guppies. Lincoln has been a part of the PTN family for over a year and loves when his occupational therapist Michael sings to him. Lincoln's parents have a new appreciation for his therapists since switching to telehealth and have witnessed firsthand the staff's investment in seeing children thrive. Throughout his time at PTN, Lincoln's strength and control of his body have improved dramatically. Lincoln worked hard to go up and down the stairs unassisted, a goal he just accomplished last week! October is Down syndrome Awareness Month, and Lincoln's parents shared, "People with Down syndrome have hopes and dreams like everyone else. Our son wants to run and play like any other kid. Yes, they're a little different, but there's a beauty in those differences that we wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for our little guy." October is a time to celebrate Lincoln and all individuals with Down syndrome by making people aware of their abilities and accomplishments!

#downsyndromeawarenessmonth #downsyndromeawareness

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You may have seen someone use sign language to communicate. You may have seen someone point to pictures or push buttons on a computer that speaks for them. These are all forms of augmentative and alternative communication or AAC. Our client Inaya is working hard with her speech therapist and her mother to learn how to use a speech-generating device. Inaya was recently upset at home. Instead of guessing what was wrong, her mother asked her to use her device, and Inaya produced, "hungry." Even though the food wasn't ready yet, Inaya calmed down and looked at ease, knowing that her mother understood how she felt. October is AAC Awareness Month. A time to celebrate Inaya and share the many different ways in which people communicate using AAC!

#AACawarenessmonth #AACaware20 #AACawareness

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Join us in welcoming our Fall fieldwork students to PTN! Kimberly and Margie are occupational therapy students from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and Jacy is a physical therapy student from University of St. Augustine. They can be seen around PTN in therapy sessions or participating in telehealth. Welcome to PTN!

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We are celebrating 24 years of serving children and families with 24 weeks of virtual events and opportunities to celebrate our anniversary. Join us for our virtual community wine tasting on October 4th!

What: Virtual Tasting featuring Wine Sommelier and winemaker from Sextant Winery.

When: Sunday, October 4, 2020, at 5:30 pm with Sextant winemaker featuring a bottle of their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Cost is $65 (includes three bottles).

Wine for Tasting: You can have the wines shipped to your home directly, or you can pick them up from Free Run Juice’s Redondo Beach location.

Optional Food Pairings: Not included in the tasting, but an excellent way to complete the evening. Gaetano's Restaurant and Red Car Brewery in Torrance are creating “specials” that will pair nicely with the wine featured in this tasting. Specials will be available to order one day before the tasting.

Click the link in our bio to register!

All of these partners will donate a percentage of proceeds back to PTN!

Questions? Contact Robin Lomas at robinlo@ptnmail.org.

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