EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Anything that has to do with creating such as arranging flowers, painting, drawing, throwing clay - you name it, I like to create with it.

• Sensory Regulation Supports: Being in silence and having a blanket whenever I’m sitting down to relax

• Sensory Aversions: Wet grass, being sticky, slimy food, and too much physical touch from my own children

• Life Hacks: Always chase your dreams even when they seem impossible. Your current struggle with always be worth it in the end. Stay busy, stay focused, and embrace chaos. With that, it is also okay to not be okay sometimes and to just be, for as long as you need.

EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Sudoku and board/card games

• Sensory Regulation Supports: Water, music, and sand

• Sensory Aversions: Anything loud or food textures in water

• Life Hacks: If you’ve written on something (like Tupperware) with permanent marker, you can use a dry erase marker to scribble over and erase it!

Operations Support Specialist | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Wildlife conservation is my jam. I love creatures like tarantulas, snakes, and millipedes that are not usually anthropomorphized by most people, and I enjoy educating them on the importance of those animals. Anything that is really environment-encompassing is interesting to me.
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Blasting tunes in my vehicle while taking a long drive helps me boost my mood when I am feeling upset, tired, or sad. When I am unable to do this I like to let my dog lay her entire body on me like a weighted blanket. She lives for those days!
• Sensory Aversions: I am very sensitive to certain smells and liquids. So much so that they can activate my gag reflex. Great examples of this are sweat, earthworms, bad breath, and anything bodily fluid related. The funny thing is, I can handle many of these when it comes to animals, but I cannot handle them when it comes to people!
• Life Hacks: One thing that helps me to mentally prepare for the day is to start off with an iced coffee. I love a good chocolate-based iced coffee in the morning. Combining caffeine with my favorite flavor is never a bad idea. Also, snuggling up with my pooch at night helps to melt away any stresses I've accumulated over the day.

EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Family time, puzzles, embroidery, learning new things and anything organizing scheduling
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Quiet dark room, comfort TV shows, stretching and cold/cool environments
• Sensory Aversions: Chewing or drinking loudly, unexpected loud or obnoxious noises, tight or uncomfortable clothing, too much physical contact, and small talk.
• Life Hacks: Looking for the positives in a situation. It's okay to be upset with someone or a situation but finding a way to work through it and learning something when doing so will teach you more than just being upset. Everyone is different but that doesn't mean we can't all get along and enjoy each others' company!

Occupational Therapist | she/her/hers

Masters in Occupational Therapy

• Special Interests: Legos, binge-watching TV shows, gardening/ yard work, swimming, and traveling
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Soft blankets, fan blowing on my face and deep pressure (hugs, weighted blanket, etc.)
• Sensory Aversions: Strong noxious smells, loud repetitive noises, strangers and crowded places
• Life Hacks: 20 minutes to myself to decompress saves me from hours of dysregulation. On the weekends, being intentional in scheduling rest and self-care to recover and recharge for the week ahead

PAES Lab Coordinator, EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Rewatching my favorite comedy specials/bits, going to small town/hole-in-the-wall breweries, learning about other people's niche interests on TikTok (ex. @JustinTheTrees uses state trees to build the state shape and talk about how the state chose that tree & @edpeople going to different countries to learn the people's favorite/cultural dance moves), finding out what side of TikTok my peers are on (ex. @Jasperthedoll is the side I'm on)
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Old Christmas songs (ex. Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby), cleaning my house with my favorite songs blasting, irritating my husband, calling my mom, hiding in my room, under my blanket with my pillow on my head
• Sensory Aversions: Room temperature drinks (they either have to be really hot or really cold), tight shoes/clothes, wet socks (even a small drop), people chewing their food loudly, being hugged or touched unexpectedly
• Life Hacks: Don't feel bad for not having hobbies, respect food/interest hyper fixations, due dates are always flexible (coming from someone that has ADHD), never be afraid to leave a job for another opportunity

EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Riding horses, reading, animals in general, and drawing
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Noise-canceling headphones with music, alone time
• Sensory Aversions: Too much touch and crowds

EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Boat rides, hanging out with friends/family, cats, and dogs
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Listening to music, weighted blanket, soft clothes/ blankets
• Sensory Aversions: Sand getting mixed with sunscreen, wet clothes, and scratchy clothes
• Life Hacks: Getting my lunch ready and picking out my outfit at night so I am able to get ready faster in the mornings.

EIDBI Provider | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: All the Minnesota things! (camping, fishing, kayaking, hiking, being on the lake, gardening) and legislative advocacy for individuals with disabilities and their families.
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Headphones/ noise supports, dimmed lighting, scent/fragrance-free environment, and physically adapted surroundings for seating and fine motor needs
• Sensory Aversions: Due to sensory-related needs, I avoid scents/oils/fragrances, bright and/or flickering lights (LED lights), repeated movements within my eye-vision span that feel too close to my eyes/face, repeated same sounds, too loud of noise for an extended period of time, schedule changes/plan changes
• Life Hacks: I put a bottle of water in the freezer to make a curved icepack that is great to use behind the head/neck to help get rid of migraines.

Front Desk, Maintenance | she/her/hers

• Special Interests: Swimming / floating, reading, puzzles, Grandkids’ sports (baseball, basketball, soccer, and dance)
• Sensory Regulation Supports: Dancing, cleaning, yoga, and a weighted blanket
• Sensory Aversions: People talking loud all at once, fluorescent lights and files buzzing around me
• Life Hacks: Breathing through situations I’m not comfortable in