EP 427: How Occupational Therapy Helps Children Thrive Beyond Handwriting

What makes Alicia Clark with Faith and Function Pediatric Therapy a good neighbor?

Need a clearer path from daily meltdowns to daily wins? We sit down with Alicia Clark, founder of Faith and Function Pediatric Therapy, to explore how pediatric occupational therapy can transform the hardest parts of family life—feeding, sleep, focus, and everyday routines—into steady, workable habits. Alicia shares a compassionate, evidence-based approach that blends hands-on therapy with parent education so support continues long after the session ends.

We dig into what occupational therapy really covers beyond handwriting: sensory processing, gross and fine motor skills, attention and regulation, and the activities of daily living that shape a child’s confidence. Alicia breaks down practical strategies for caregivers, daycares, and schools, explaining how small, consistent changes can lower stress and unlock independence. She also walks through sensory-informed design—simple home adjustments like lighting, seating, organization, and sound control—to help kids regulate, learn, and rest. From birth through age 21, she shows how timely support can prevent bigger struggles and help children thrive in the spaces they use most.

Alicia’s faith-centered perspective drives a warm, inclusive practice that serves families of all backgrounds. You’ll hear how she uses social media, blogs, and community partnerships to share resources, demystify therapy, and make referrals smoother. Curious about starting a podcast to widen access? Alicia is too, and she shares why cross-disciplinary collaboration is essential for lasting change.

If you’re a parent, educator, or clinician looking for clear, usable tools to support kids at home and school, this conversation offers both insight and action. Subscribe for more neighbor-powered stories, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help other families find supportive care.

To learn more about Faith and Function Pediatric Therapy go to: https://faithandfunction.info/

 Faith and Function Pediatric Therapy

 📞 +1 (866) 832-1708

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of an occupational therapist? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Alicia Clark, with Faith and Function Pediatric Therapy. Alicia, it is so great to have you on today. Now I know we are all so excited to learn about you and your unique business. Start off by telling our listeners a little bit about your company.

What Faith And Function Does

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Okay, great. Thanks so much for having me. So Faith and Function is a pediatric occupational therapy practice where we focus on helping children to build functional independence so that families can experience more peace at home. We specialize in occupational therapy, feeding therapy, all helping to support children with sensory challenges, motor difficulties, developmental delays, as well as just everyday living skills such as dressing and feeding, education, attention, and regulation. In addition to providing direct therapy, I also provide educational trainings. So I help to present for caregivers and home health teams. I do daycare trainings and school trainings, all helping to equip adults with practical strategies that they can use immediately to help support children. And then I also am proud to say that I also offer sensory-informed design consultations where I help families make thoughtful adjustments to their home environments to better support regulation, sleep, focus, and their daily routines.

Trainings And Sensory-Informed Design

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Wow, Alicia. Now I am so curious. How did you get started in this business?

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Well, I've always been drawn to helping children. I'm really am passionate about helping to build their confidence and helping with their everyday environments. And over time, I've realized that therapy is most effective when families feel empowered and educated, not overwhelmed. So that's what led me to create faith and function. I wanted a practice that blends evidence-based therapy with practical education and encouragement so that the support essentially can continue beyond just those isolated therapy sessions. My faith also plays a role in how I serve. I believe that children and all of us are created with a purpose. And so I want to help access that potential in a meaningful and functional way.

Alicia’s Path And Practice Philosophy

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Amen, Alicia. Now, with you having such a big nurturing side, what is the misconception you like to put to rest today about pediatric therapy?

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Yeah, that's great. Thanks so much for that opportunity. So a common misconception is that occupational therapy is just for helping kids with fine motor skills or maybe just with handwriting skills. But really, what we do is we help to address how a child functions in their everyday life. And it goes so much farther beyond just the fine motor and handwriting skills, as we help with gross motor mobility skills and sensory processing, again, the feeding, attention, and those activities of daily living. Another myth is that children will just simply grow out of these challenges. And while development can be progressive in nature, early support often prevents much bigger struggles later in life.

Myths About Pediatric OT

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Wow. Now, Alicia, let's go ahead and switch gears to growth for a second. Now we know marketing is the heart of every business. So typically, you know, who are some of your target clients? What age do you start helping these children at? And how are you attracting them?

Clients, Ages, And Marketing

On Starting A Podcast

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Yeah, so I help children as early as birth. I mean, right from right from when they are born. Some of these children have challenges, whether it happened in utero or if it happened during birth or just residual uh difficulties or delays that they're having afterwards. And I go all the way up to age 21. Um, how I help to market and and try to help those children is usually through my social media pages. Um I do a lot of parent education and parent resources so that parents can make a good decision on where they want to bring their children, as well as helping to market to um doctors and schools and other referral sources such as that.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Alicia, with that education piece being so important for you, do you see yourself having your own podcast in the future? Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

That's an interesting question. Yeah, that sounds like that would be definitely something that would be up my alley. I really enjoy um just trying to network within the community. Um, helping children isn't just isolated to my niche and area of expertise. It goes so much farther and having other guests to talk to and collaborate with to also help support those kids, would be amazing.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Alicia, now I know you incorporated faith into the name of your business. So, how does that play a role on the day-to-day and what you do?

SPEAKER_02 5:32

Yeah, so the name faith is really honestly, it's directed a little bit more towards myself. I honestly, with respect to helping children, I help all kids. It doesn't matter what their faith base is. Um, but the faith part is just that I truly believe that I am a vessel for God. And so I want to use that to be able to help and support not just the kids, but the families to be able to serve a bigger purpose for him.

Where To Learn More

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Well, that is beautiful. Now, final question: where can our listeners go to learn more about faith and function pediatric therapy?

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Yeah, so I've got a website. It's faithandfunction.info where I share um parent resources and different education videos. I'm also really big on writing educational blogs, and you can find all of those at faithandfunction.info. I'm also very active and um making sure that parents also have other resources to access through Facebook and through Pinterest, um, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Well, Alicia, we really appreciate you being on the show today, and we wish you and your mission the best moving forward. Aw, thanks so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two one nine three four four four four four five.