Zerilda is an enthusiastic, caring, and creative occupational therapist who is passionate about supporting children and their families to thrive. She completed her BSc in Occupational Therapy at the University of the Witwatersrand and went on to complete her community service year in rural Mpumalanga. This experience had a profound impact on her clinical perspective, strengthening her adaptability, resourcefulness, and appreciation for family-centred, contextually relevant care.

Zerilda has experience working with children from as young as 7 months up to young adults of 21 years across school-based, private practice, and government healthcare settings. She has a special interest in early intervention and neurodevelopmental support, and has worked with children presenting with sensory processing challenges, fine and gross motor difficulties, and emotional regulation needs. Her clinical experience includes supporting children with diagnoses such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, intellectual disability, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder. She also has experience in hippotherapy.

Passionate about parent education and collaboration, Zerilda believes that every child should be viewed holistically — considering their sensory profile, emotional world, environment, and family context. She works closely with caregivers and educators to ensure carryover of therapeutic strategies into daily life. She is fully trained in Makaton and has experience supporting children with communication barriers who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

She offers Sensory Integration therapy and has completed her postgraduate qualification in Ayres Sensory Integration through SAISI. Driven by curiosity and a love of learning, Zerilda continually seeks opportunities to expand her knowledge and skills to provide the best possible support for the children and families she works with.