MORE ON ELISE

‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’ – Dr. Suess

ELISE LECUONA

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

B.OT (UFS), M.OT (UFS), ASI, NDT, SOS APPROACH TO FEEDING, NBO, NDSC, IAIM

Elise Lecuona is an occupational therapist who specialises in early intervention. She graduated at the university of the Free State in 1998 and her passion for learning and research led her early in her career to further qualify in areas such and Neuro Developmental Therapy (NDT), Ayers Sensory Integration (ASI), The Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to feeding (SOS), Neurodevelopmental Supportive Care (NDSC) for premature infants, Newborn Behavioural Assessment (NBAS) and paediatric splinting. 

She completed her master’s degree on the effect of sensory integration on the development of premature infants in the first year and published two research articles; in the South African Medical Journal and South African Journal of Occupation Therapy respectively, emphasising the importance of appropriate early intervention and the positive long term outcomes. It is not a matter of catching up, but rather facilitating optimal developmental play and engagement that help children reach their full potential. She had the privilege to share her research in Sweden and England.

As much as she enjoys learning from others which includes her youngest patient to respected colleagues, she has a passion for teaching and empowering parents. For this reason she has developed parent programmes to be able to answer parents’ questions on specific topics such as new borns, the importance of self-regulation, feeding, development and  sensory processing. Premature infants and working with their parents is a high priority for her since she believes in preventative early intervention. She is part of the Little Steps training team that presents NDSC training courses to professional nurses and therapists nationally.

​Elise started her career working in the UK for two years and since she returned to South Africa in 2001 she has worked in various settings from special needs education, government tertiary hospitals including Red Cross Children’s hospital and in various private hospitals. She has been involved in private practice part time since 2001 and opened her full time early intervention practice in Cape Town in 2015. Her extensive experience, dedication to evidence based practice and deep interest in each of her patients allows her to provide comprehensive, holistic and specialised therapeutic management.

​Helping young children and their parents connect, conquer their fears and reach their full potential is a favourite part of her work and it is a privilege for her to combine her passion for little people, research, learning and teaching with her career.

​When not at work she enjoys her other passions through quality time with family, friends, hiking, running or playing tennis.

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Sensory integration intervention and the development of the premature infant: A controlled trial

SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SAMJ November 2017, Vol. 107, No. 11

The developmental status and prevalence of sensory integration difficulties in premature infants in a tertiary hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY,  SAJOT 2016;46 (1): 15-19.