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SHOREWOOD CLINIC
(815) 773-9000
fax: 815-773-9001
SYCAMORE CLINIC
(815) 991-5760
fax: 815-991-5766
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
(815) 730-1800
fax: 815-730-1835
Hillmann Pediatric Therapy
Occupational Therapy Service
Occupational Therapy
Pediatric occupational therapy helps a child to reach goals and developmental milestones that improve their daily lives. Teaching a child to adapt to sensory differences, improve upon their play skills, assist in becoming more independent with self-care and feeding routines are important roles of an occupational therapist. They also assist children in improving their visual motor and fine motor control for greater success in writing, scissor cutting and manpulting fasteners on clothing.
Consider occupational therapy if your child is having difficulty with:
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Self/emotional regulation
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Learning to play and interact with toys appropriately
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Completing activities of daily living (ADL) including dressing and feeding
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Writing or scissor cutting due to poor fine motor skills
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Sensory differences
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Visual motor
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Motor Coordination
Occupational Therapy Team
Dania has been practicing as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for the past 28 years. She has participated in a multitude of continuing education courses to improve her knowledge in the areas of Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing as well as in behavior management and Autism. She also completed a variety of management and team building courses that have supported her in her role as the Director of Clinical Services. Dania is a Certified Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) trainer. Dania has been a part of the Hillmann Pediatric Therapy team since August of 2008. In her free time, Dania has earned her black belt in the art of Kajukenbo Karate and has been involved with a local travel baseball team as the assistant travel commissioner. Dania is married and 2 children that she enjoys watching play college softball and baseball.
Dania Polly, COTA/L
Director Clinical Services
Stephanie Meyn, MOT,OTR/L LMT
Stephanie received her Bachelor degree in Rehabilitation and Disability Services from
Northern Illinois University in 2019 and her Masters in Occupational Therapy from North Central
College in 2021. Prior to becoming an OT, Stephanie has had several opportunities working with
children in a variety of backgrounds and abilities, and each opportunity has only further solidified her passion for the pediatric population. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings,including schools and outpatient clinics. She has been a part of the Hillmann Pediatric Therapy team since July of 2023. Stephanie strives to develop meaningful relationships with clients and their families. Through a holistic approach, she loves to create interventions that are exciting and fun for children. There is no better feeling than seeing clients overcome obstacles, no matter how big or small. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and friends, being outdoors, traveling, and cooking new recipes.
Nicole Meyers, MS,OTR/L
Hannah Miller MSOT, OTR/L, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist
Samantha Vesper MOT, OTR/L
Nikki started her degree towards Occupational Therapy at NIU with a focus in Family and Child
Connections. She transferred to Western Michigan University where she was accepted to their
4+1 Masters program. Nikki graduated with her Bachelors Degree with a focus in Occupational
Therapy in 2017 and Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2018. Nikki has been with working at
Hillmann Pediatric Therapy for 5 years both in the clinic and school settings. She enjoys having
the opportunity to work both at the schools and the clinic setting. At the clinic, Nikki enjoys
working with the Early Intervention population and older kids working on functional life skills
such as cooking. Her favorite activities are anything that involve getting messy and having fun
because that’s the best way to learn. When not at work, Nikki enjoys traveling, spending time
with her family or taking walks with her dog.
Hannah received her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Individual Development and Psychology in 2018 from Northern Illinois University. She received her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from Lewis University in 2021. Hannah is also a certified breastfeeding specialist. She continues to enhance her expertise through ongoing training and experience in areas such as oral ties, bottle and nursing techniques, pumping, and combination feeding. This allows Hannah to utilize a holistic and evidence-based approach, integrating skilled occupational therapy with lactation support to guide families towards a successful and fulfilling feeding journey.
Hannah's love for working with kids and families stems from her time in early childhood education, but her passion for breastfeeding really took off after her own experiences as a mom. She knows firsthand how challenging breastfeeding can be, and it doesn't always go smoothly. Hannah is passionate about helping families navigate feeding and development during this delicate stage of life and happy to be able to offer the kind of support she wished she had when she was a new parent.
Outside of the clinic, she enjoys spending time with her children, husband, and 2 dogs, who keep her very busy!
Samantha graduated with her Masters of Occupational Therapy from Governors State University in 2019. She is a dedicated pediatric occupational therapist with five years of experience working in both school and outpatient clinical settings.
Samantha has worked with children of all ages, from infants to adolescents. Her expertise spans a variety of therapeutic approaches, and she has taken part in numerous continuing education courses, including (DMI) Dynamic Movement Intervention, DIR Floortime, creating sensory diets, reflex integration, and many more. Samantha is certified in Physical Agent Modalities (PAMS) and The Size Matters Handwriting Program. These advanced skills enable her to provide individualized care tailored to each child’s unique needs.
Outside of her professional life, Samantha enjoys spending quality time with her husband and their dog. She loves traveling, crafting with her CRICUT, and reading in her downtime. Samantha is passionate about creating meaningful connections with both her patients and their families, always striving to support children in achieving their fullest potential.
Melissa is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant who began working for HPT in
2019. She attended and graduated from McHenry County College in 2018. Melissa truly
enjoys working within the pediatric setting ranging from ages 0-18 in both clinic and
school settings. She loves working as a team with parents, guardians, and teachers to
promote a better learning experience and continue furthering a child’s development.
During her free time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her kids and family, being
outdoors, and horseback riding.
Melissa Long, COTA/L
Lizette received her Bachelors in Community Health at Governors State and her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy at Midwestern University. She previously worked at an outpatient pediatric clinic prior to coming to Hillmann where she worked with kids with Autism. She had her clinical experience in outpatient pediatric and outpatient Hand therapy settings. During these experiences, she had the opportunity to work with a variety of diagnoses, conditions, and feeding. She also had the chance to make splints for a variety of upper extremities conditions. Her favorite activities are those that involve movement and messy play. When not at the clinic, she enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and dog. She also enjoys playing in volleyball leagues and going to craft fairs.
Lizette Lopez, OTD, OTR/L
Jamie Blough, COTA/L
Jamie has been a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant since 2018, following her graduation from Fox College. She brings a diverse range of experience across clinic, school-based, and in-home therapy settings. She is experienced working with children of all ages and is passionate about providing neuro-affirming care. Her areas of specialization include sensory processing, oculomotor skill development, behavior support, and aquatic therapy. Believing that the most effective therapy is rooted in collaboration, Jamie works closely with children, their families and caregivers, educators, and interdisciplinary teams to foster supportive and inclusive environments for growth and development. Outside of work, Jamie enjoys cheering on her two children as they play a variety of high school sports, being a proud dog mom to her two pups, and exploring new places through travel.