Thought Leaders: Dr. Denise Donica and Dr. Peter Giroux

Dr. Donica is professor and chair in the Department of Occupational Therapy at East Carolina University. She is board certified in pediatrics and is certified in Ayres Sensory Integration. She worked for 8 years in clinical practice, including pediatrics, and currently engages in research focusing on handwriting, keyboarding, and sensory integration. She has 20 publications and over 50 national and international presentations. In addition, she works part-time as a national presenter for Learning Without Tears.

Peter Giroux, PHD, MHS, OTR/L, FAOTA, is a professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). He has taught at UMMC for 31 years to include time spent teaching courses in pediatrics, early childhood, middle childhood and adolescents. He is an active occupational therapy practitioner providing school-based occupational therapy and assistive technology services to student in the Madison County School District for the past 30 years. He has served and continues to serve as a mentor and consultant to OT practitioners, teachers and administrators throughout the state in the area of school-based occupational therapy. He has been a presenter for Learning Without Tears providing workshops and learning sessions on a national and international level for 25 years. He is also a published researcher in the areas of handwriting and keyboarding evaluation and intervention with students of all ages.