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Resume
Biography
About Mary E.
Scholer, OTR/L, Executive Director
EXPERIENCE
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4/75 to present: Executive Director,
Simoneon Pediatric Development Center, San Jose, CA.
A 501©(3) non-profit Corporation.
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Myself and staff serve
children with varied diagnoses from infant through teen years.
Delays may be in one or multiple domains of development.
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Handle all direct and indirect OT patient services
such as evaluation, documentation, therapy, consultation and
collaboration with physician, family and other service providers.
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Plan programs for program development, staff and
Center development as Facility Director.
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Develop on-going programs for ideation, staffing,
supervision, service contracts, budget, payroll, billing, physical plant
and all it entails, marketing and community education.
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1/73-8/73: Agnew State Hospital, Santa Clara, CA
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Served as a volunteer occupational
therapist
for an 8 month/40 hour week
position.
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Supervised 56 highest functioning adolescents and
adults at Agnew.
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Developed programs and implemented occupational
therapy interventions in a large group format (generally all 56
residents participated at one time).
EDUCATION
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1994-1998 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
M.A. in process in Special Education - Early Intervention
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1970-1973 San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
B.S. - Occupational Therapy
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11/69-1/70 Adult Occupational Center, Woodland Hills, CA
State Certification - Nursing Assistant
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9/68-9/69 Long Beach State University, Long Beach, CA
Major - Industrial Arts/Metal Smithing
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1965-1968 Pierce College, Woodland Hills, CA
AA Degree - Art
POST GRADUATE INTERNSHIPS
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10/73-12/73 Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Rehabilitation Unit,
San Jose, CA
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7/73-9/73 Mount Zion Hospital
Psychiatric Unit,
San Francisco, CA
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4/73-6/73 California Children's Services
Sven-Lokranz Pediatric Unit,
Reseda, CA
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION AND ASSOCIATIONS
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Southern California Sensory Integration Test
Certification in 1976 (certification # 286).
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9/91 - present Cranial-Sacral Therapy referral source in
the South Bay for the
Upledger Institute, West Palm Beach, FL.
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4/91 - present Myofascial Therapy referral source in the
South Bay for the
Myofascial Release Treatment Center, Paoli, PA.
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1/90 - 1997 Advisory Committee member - Early
Intervention for At Risk Child - Education and Psychology Department, Santa
Clara University.
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1979 - present Certified - California Department of
Education to provide contractual Occupational therapy services to public
school children .
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1975 - present Vendor to Loma Prieta Regional Center (now
San Andreas Regional Center) to provide individual clients with occupational
therapy
services.
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12/02 - present Licensed-California Board of Occupational
Therapy .
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1/75 - present Member Association of Pediatric Therapists
of Northern California.
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1/74 - 2000 Registration with American Occupational
Therapy Association .
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1/74 - present Certified by National Board of
Occupational Therapy .
SEMINARS AND COURSES
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10/2004 "Infant and Pediatric feeding intervention for
Dysphagia",
Los Gatos, CA.
Instructors: Robin Bonsall, M.Ed., OTR/L
Winifred Schultz-Krohn, P.hd, OTR/L, BCP
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6/2004 "The Nuts and Bolts of Developing a Social
Skills Group for Kids on the
Spectrum", Tibuson, CA.
Instructor: Stacey Case, M.S. CCSP
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3/2004 "Sensory Processing Disorder and Young
Children", San Jose, CA.
Instructors: Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.
Lucy Jane Miller, Ph.D., OTR
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2/2004 "Mending the Heart… Strengthening the Bond"
(Working with the child
with Attachment Disorder), Palo Alto, CA.
Instructor: Dr. Dan Hughes, Ph.D.
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11/2002 "Samonas Auditory Intervention",
Oakland,
CA.
Instructor: Ingo Steinbach
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10/2002 "Solving the Relationship puzzle, Opening Doors
to Friendship for people
on the Autistic Spectrum" (Relationship Development Intervention),
San Jose, CA
Instructor: Steven E. Gutstein, Ph.D.
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9/2002 "Cranial Sacral Therapy for Pediatrics",
San Francisco, CA.
Instructor: Judy Blix, PT
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10/2001 "Sensory Integration for Early
Intervention.-Increasing Efficacy of your Treatment",
San Francisco, CA.
Instructor: Julia Harper, OTR/L
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5/1998 "Sensorimotor Therapy, Communication and Play"
(for children with autism, PDD and related disorders), Redwood City, CA.
Instructor: Pamela Wolfberg, Ph.D. OTR
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5/2000 "Combining Approaches for teaching children
with Autism,
The Art and Science", San Francisco, CA.
Instructors: Patricia Oetter, MA, OTR/L, FAOTA Nancy Lawton Shirley, OTR/L
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1/2000 "Sensory Defensiveness and Related Social
/Emotional & Neurological
Problems", San Jose, CA.
Instructors: Patricia Wilbarger, MED and Sharon Trunell, OTR
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11/1999 "Samonas Sound Therapy - The Therapeutic Use
of Sound"
Decatur, GA (5 day course).
Instructors: Ingo Steinbach
Sheila M. Frick, OTR/L
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6/1999 "Handwriting without Tears",
Oakland, CA.
Instructor: Jan Olsen, OTR
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5/1999 "Listening with the Whole Body" - Auditory
Intervention for Sensory &
Language Processing Disorders, Palo Alto, CA.
Instructor: Sheila M Frick, OTR
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10/1995 "Building Blocks for Early Start: Supporting
the Professional Development persons who serve infants and toddlers with
Special Needs and their families, San Francisco, CA.
Instructors: Beth Gould
Constance J. Bourne
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6/89-8/89 8 Week N.D.T. Pediatric Course
Palo Alto, CA(40 hours per week).
Instructor: Judith Bierman, P.T.
Mary E. Scholar's
Biography
When I was 5 years old, my mom told me that she knew I would
become an occupational therapist. She felt I was very creative and she said she
was always amazed how I could make something out of nothing. That was more than
50 years ago, when O.T.'s did lots of arts and crafts (at the time, a fun way
for adults and children alike to improve their fine motor,
self-help/independence skills, while enhancing their self-esteem and sense of
productivity). Friends sometimes ask me now if I don't miss working with gold
and silver jewelry, welding or working with bronze. My answer is always,
unequivocally, "No."
I don't miss my artwork. My creativity is challenged
daily while working as an occupational therapist with the little ones.
For the past 29 years, serving these children and their
families has been the love and passion of my life!
Although my mom's intuition was good concerning my career
choice, her words and insight had little influence on my decision to become an
occupational therapist. It was the relentless torment I endured from my
classmates and peers between second and ninth grade that had the strongest
impact on my career choice. They reminded me daily that I was "not good enough."
I was always fearful of physical challenges, had poor ability with sports
skills, had a poor sense of my body in space, was disturbed by the tactile
experience of the physical closeness of others, the feel of my clothing, changes
in the weather and temperature, feared that sports activities would hurt me and
had poor strength and endurance. It was difficult for me to even endure the
school day sitting at my desk as I fatigued easily and sought external support
for my posture. I was a good student and typically made "A" and "B" grades, but
needed to work hard to do that. I was so distracted and emotionally distraught
by the kids calling me names and hitting me for my "differentness", that school
was a challenge and not a pleasure. It was only after changing schools (in high
school), and then college, that being at school was not an emotionally
destructive experience.
I continued my pursuit of art in the community college and at
Long Beach State. While at State I decided to volunteer next door at the
Veteran's Hospital in the occupational therapy department. I was hooked. I soon
transferred to San Jose State University to major in Occupational Therapy. It
was in my first internship (pediatrics) that I knew this should be my life
direction. I was helping children just like me in that internship. After only 3
months working with these kids, they were making astounding changes and their
self-esteem was skyrocketing. This was for me - a chance to truly make a
difference, to save children from the torment I had endured. I am shaking as I
am writing this, bringing back the old memories.
After 29 years and so many children, who are now leading very
different lives, I know my earlier torments at the hands of my peers were both a
lesson and a blessing. How else could the love in my heart and my passion be so
strong?
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