✿ MEET THE FOUNDER
Dr. Courtney McIntyre
OTD, OTR/L
Doctor of Occupational Therapy, ASI®-certified OT, and founder of GroWild Boutique Playroom. Practicing pediatric, family-centered, and equine-assisted therapy grounded in Ayres Sensory Integration® — in Camas and Hockinson, Washington.
— THE SHORT VERSION
A neurodivergent clinician building a different kind of practice.
I'm a Doctor of Occupational Therapy with a decade of clinical experience and a longer career in healthcare program management, research, and policy reform.
I'm a Doctor of Occupational Therapy with a decade of clinical experience and a longer career in healthcare program management, research, and policy reform.
My work blends evidence-based therapy with lived experience as a neurodivergent person — and a deep commitment to building systems that fit kids, rather than asking kids to fit systems they were never designed for.
— THE LONGER STORY
How GroWild came to be.
I came into this field through a winding path. I earned my clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Creighton University and trained early in applied behavior analysis — including certifications in Pivotal Response Treatment from UCSB and the Early Start Denver Model from UCSD. For ten years, I worked within the behavioral framework. I learned a great deal about kids, about families, and about myself.
I also learned what wasn't working. I watched the field ask kids to do the very thing I'd been asked to do my whole life — mask their neurodivergence to be considered "successful." As a neurodivergent person myself, I knew that wasn't sustainable, ethical, or kind. So my practice evolved alongside the science.
I pursued advanced training in Ayres Sensory Integration® at USC — the gold-standard, evidence-based framework for understanding how the nervous system shapes everything a child does. I earned EASI evaluation certification through CLASI, completed SOS feeding training, and became an AHCB-certified Hippotherapy Clinican, The deeper I went into sensory integration, the clearer it became: kids weren't behaving "badly." They were living in nervous systems the environment didn't fit. I started a private practice & a non-profit. Then I built GroWild — a 1,500 square foot boutique playroom built to ASI® fidelity standards, a 50-acre equine farm, and a collective of clinicians who share my conviction that kids deserve a therapy practice that meets them where they are, not one that tries to make them adapt to fit somewhere else.
I also bring years of system-level work to this practice — senior program management within large-scale U.S. healthcare programs, published clinical research, policy reform across FDA and payer systems, and the design of AJASI, the AI-powered EMR now used at GroWild. and will be hitting the market for the larger health carwe market.
Because the systems kids navigate don't change unless someone changes them. GroWild is one small attempt at building the kind of practice I wish had existed for me, and for the families I now serve.
— CREDENTIALS AT A GLANCE
A decade of training, put to work.
OTD
Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Creighton
SOS
SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding Certified
ASI®
Graduate Certificate, Ayres Sensory Integration, USC
PRT
Pivotal Response Treatment certification, UCSB
EASI
Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration, CLASI
ESDM
Early Start Denver Model certification, UCSD
AHCB
Hippotherapy Certified Occupational Therapist , AHCB
Policy
Background in healthcare research & policy reform
— THE FRAMEWORK THAT SHAPED MY PRACTICE
Why Ayres Sensory Integration® is at the heart of my work.
Most parents have never heard of ASI before they meet me. Here's what it is — and why it changes everything.
01
What ASI® is
The gold-standard, evidence-based framework for understanding how the nervous system processes sensory information — and how that shapes learning, behavior, regulation, relationships, sleep, and eating.
02
Why it matters
Most childhood challenges that get labeled "behavior problems" are actually sensory processing differences. ASI lets us see the body underneath the behavior.
03
How I practice it
I trained at USC for my Graduate Certificate and earned my EASI evaluation certification through CLASI. GroWild's playroom is built to ASI® fidelity standards.
— THE INSIGHT AT THE CENTER
When a child can't focus, can't sit still, melts down at transitions, refuses certain foods, or seems "in their own world" — it's rarely about willpower or motivation. It's about how their nervous system is processing the world. ASI gives us the science to understand that, and the tools to actually help.
— BEYOND THE CLINIC
Where else my work shows up — and has shown up.
My work in pediatric therapy is one piece of a longer career in healthcare systems, research, and program design.
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP
Senior Program Management in U.S. Healthcare
Held program management roles overseeing clinical research, health policy reform, and critical incident management within large-scale U.S. healthcare programs.
Built operational infrastructure that supported clinical teams during large-scale healthcare delivery challenges.
SENSORY INTEGRATION RESEARCH
EASI Norming & Standardization
Contributed to the norming and standardization of the EASI (Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration) — the next-generation assessment tool for sensory integration practice worldwide.
Work that's now in use by ASI® clinicians around the globe.
PUBLISHED RESEARCH & POLICY REFORM
Healthcare Research & System Reform
Managed large-scale retrospective medical research that was published, contributing to FDA-level clinical decisions and reform efforts across CMS and private payer systems.
Work that meaningfully expanded patient access to specialized therapies.
HEALTH TECH & EQUITY
Healthcare Technology & Equity Programs
Holding equity and clinical leadership roles in healthcare technology ventures focused on equitable, AI-powered care delivery. Translating real clinical practice into product strategy for the next generation of clinical tools.
Because the systems clinicians use shape the care patients receive..
interested in education or consulting services email courtney@otwotks.org
— AND ONGOING WORK
Continuing Education
Trainings, curriculum development and CEUs for OTs, SLPs, and educators.
Consulting & Design
Sensory environment, and staff training partnerships.
Community Education
Workshops bringing neurodiversity-affirming knowledge into our community.
— A PERSONAL NOTE
"I built GroWild because I want every neurodivergent kid to grow up knowing their brain isn't something to apologize for. Difference is real. Belonging is built. That's the work."
— Dr. Courtney McIntyre
— LET'S TALK —
Every family starts with a conversation.
Curious if GroWild is the right fit for your family? Have a question about therapy, consulting, or speaking? I'd love to hear from you.