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I'm Austen Lincoln, OTR/L
Pediatric OT, always in leggings, and obsessed with child development
I know, I can't believe it. I am actually wearing jeans in this picture!
Aside from living in leggings at home and at work (yay for self-employment and understanding clients!), I am a licensed and nationally certified pediatric occupational therapist in Portland, Oregon. It took me a while to figure out that OT was "the how" in fulfilling my childhood dream job of "helping people." Multiple dance and gymnastics related injuries as a younger person drove interest in medicine, nursing, and physical therapy. But when I heard about OT as an almost junior at University of Southern California, I knew that was the right fit for me. I received both my bachelor's and master's degrees from USC, graduating in 2011 with my MA in OT, only to realize I was not quite ready to practice, and very unsure about working with kids. Ha!
So, I took some time to figure out my next steps and escaped to Aspen, CO with a high school girlfriend to be a ski-bum for a year. From there, I landed in the Aspen School District as their district occupational therapist. And so began my career unknowingly destined for pediatrics, and my love of using movement-based learning to enhance the brain's performance. Throughout my years of practice in public schools, early intervention, and private clinic settings, it has been clear that in order to support a child, I have to support parents, ensuring they feel educated and equipped to cultivate their child's sensory-motor development. In 2016 I made the switch to private practice to focus on this, providing a family centered, naturalized, and flexible therapy option. And that little in-home private occupational therapy practice has now expanded into a blend of in-person, consultative, and virtual developmental services.
I am trained in typical and atypical movement, and have extensive experience in assessing movement skills and providing supportive intervention based on each child's individual developmental needs. My years of formal education, continuing education, and clinical practice in lots of homes is what allows me to be here with you now, sharing my ideas, my tools, and my recommendations. I am most passionate about the early years (birth to 5), and taking full advantage of that early window for optimizing learning and motor outcomes. It would be a joy to help you provide this for your child.
When I am not seeing clients or creating educational content, I am walking my bear cub Abe (well, he is a Bouvier des Flandres, often mistaken for a bear!), cooking and baking sometimes questionable plant-based creations, or pathetically assisting my husband with house projects.
I am trained in typical and atypical movement, and have extensive experience in assessing movement skills and providing supportive intervention based on each child's individual developmental needs. My years of formal education, continuing education, and clinical practice in lots of homes is what allows me to be here with you now, sharing my ideas, my tools, and my recommendations. I am most passionate about the early years (birth to 5), and taking full advantage of that early window for optimizing learning and motor outcomes. It would be a joy to help you provide this for your child.
When I am not seeing clients or creating educational content, I am walking my bear cub Abe (well, he is a Bouvier des Flandres, often mistaken for a bear!), cooking and baking sometimes questionable plant-based creations, or pathetically assisting my husband with house projects.
