Julia Rosenthal

As I approach my 60^th birthday, I am filled with immense pride reflecting on my 35-year career, especially celebrating 25 years as an occupational therapist with York Region Early Intervention Services. Not many people can say they love their job and get paid to play with children, but I do. That is how I would describe my OT journey.

I graduated from the University of Toronto in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a degree in occupational therapy. I always knew that I wanted to work with children and had a keen interest in children with special needs. I did not want to be a nurse, teacher, or physiotherapist. Fortunately, I had a cousin who was a physiotherapist, and after I told her what I wanted to do, she introduced me to occupational therapy. That’s when I decided to apply to the University of Toronto occupational therapy program. I started my career at Erinoak Kids working there for 7 years in school care and then in a preschool program. I had the opportunity to work with children at their children’s treatment centre, childcare, and school. I helped them with their daily activities, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, and toileting. I also worked on improving their fine motor skills so they could play and pre-print, including making basic shapes, drawing simple pictures, printing letters, and using scissors, etc. I worked in their swim program and got involved in Project Magic. In 1993, we had a magician, David Copperfield, attend our program & worked with the kids. That was a career highlight for me.

When I joined York Region Early Intervention Services, I was able to develop and lead a feeding program for autistic children. In that program, we introduced children to different foods and provided the parents with education. I also worked in a program with children to help with their gross motor skills, sensory regulation, and social communication skills. Working with children, their families, and caregivers has been incredibly rewarding for me. When I saw the difference my work made in their lives, I realized there was nothing else I wanted to do.

Once, when my husband and I were on a vacation in San Francisco, we were riding a cable car and an older woman started talking to me. She was on holiday with her family, including her grandson and we immediately recognized each other. I worked with this child and his family in the past to improve his feeding skills. The parents wanted their son to be able to eat by himself so that they could go on a vacation, and I helped him achieve that. Years later, running into them in another country took my breath away. To this day, the memory makes me extremely happy. My husband was amazed by the impact that my work has had on children. He still tells people that I truly change people’s lives! What could be a better job? For anyone considering a career in occupational therapy, I can’t stress enough how incredible this career choice has been for me.