Occupational Therapy Assistant Helps Children Experience the Joy of Childhood
Bounrattanapasong “Mickie” Phonhnaboth, a certified occupational therapy assistant from Nevada, helps medically complex and underserved children build independence and creates opportunities for them to experience the connection, celebration, and joy of childhood.
Bounrattanapasong “Mickie” Phonhnaboth
COTA/L and Activities Director, Silver State Pediatric Skilled Nursing Facility
Part-time COTA/L, Tilton’s Therapy for Tots
PRN COTA/L, Sage Creek Post Acute
Location: Nevada
Certified in 2015
Creating an Environment That Is More Than Medical Care
For Bounrattanapasong “Mickie” Phonhnaboth, helping a child thrive means looking beyond their medical needs and protecting the everyday experiences that make childhood meaningful. She is committed to improving the lives of medically complex and underserved children through compassionate and client-centered occupational therapy. Her work in both pediatric skilled nursing and mobile outpatient settings centers on advocacy, clinical initiative, and interdisciplinary collaboration to design interventions that support children’s participation in everyday childhood activities and experiences.
Mickie recognizes that children should not be defined by their diagnosis; they should be empowered to participate and engage. With this in mind, Mickie creates meaningful opportunities for children to play, celebrate milestones, build friendships, and experience joy and connection. She designs daily occupation-based programming, themed events, and celebrations that promote social participation, self-expression, and rewarding childhood experiences, which are all essential parts of a child’s development and quality of life.
Building Independence One Milestone at a Time
As a COTA at Silver State Pediatric Skilled Nursing Facility, Mickie works with medically complex children, focusing on pediatric feeding and oral motor interventions. She has helped multiple children safely transition from nasogastric tube feeding to oral feeding using evidence-based feeding strategies, adaptive equipment, sensory approaches, and culturally relevant foods. To better support oral motor development in her clients, she introduced and implemented the Honey Bear Straw Cup, an adaptive tool to help clients transition to straw drinking, which promotes safe oral intake. After seeing its effectiveness, the facility adopted the cup for broader use, and it is now a standardized feeding tool across the facility. These feeding transitions not only improve nutrition but also increase autonomy, participation in mealtimes, and family bonding. To Mickie, each milestone—drinking from a straw, tolerating new textures, or participating in group meals—means greater independence, inclusion, and quality of life for her young clients.
“In her role as a COTA, Mickie demonstrates an extraordinary ability to connect with pediatric [clients] of diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of medical and developmental needs. She approaches each child with patience, creativity, and a holistic understanding of their emotional and therapeutic goals… Mickie goes above and beyond to create an environment where children feel engaged, valued, and empowered. She designs developmentally appropriate and culturally inclusive programs that not only support the children’s therapeutic goals but also enrich their overall quality of life. Her activities bring joy into a setting where many families face challenging circumstances, and she ensures that every child—regardless of ability—has opportunities to participate and succeed.”
Jennifer Carmona
Administrator at Silver State Pediatric Skilled Nursing Facility
“Mickie has a remarkable ability to translate complex developmental and sensory needs into meaningful, occupation-based interventions that children are motivated to participate in… One of her greatest strengths is her ability to individualize treatment while maintaining clear functional goals. She adapts in real time to a child’s sensory and emotional state, modifying tasks to ensure success while still challenging skill development. This results in steady, measurable progress and high levels of carryover into the home environment.”
Casey Melvin, OTR/L
Mickie’s colleague and CEO of Tilton’s Therapy for Tots
Removing Barriers to Participation
Mickie goes above and beyond to advocate for her clients and their families. While providing services in mobile outpatient therapy, she worked with a child from a lower-income community whose family was struggling to see progress with traditional clinic-based therapy. Mickie recognized that the existing approach was not meeting the child’s needs, so she helped coordinate access to aquatic occupational therapy and physical therapy. After participating in these services, the child demonstrated improved participation and engagement. Rather than expecting the family to fit within a service model that was not working, Mickie found another path, an approach shaped by her own story. Born in Thailand after the Vietnam War and raised in Texas by Lao immigrant parents, she understands the challenges families may face while navigating unfamiliar or complex systems. Today, that perspective influences how she listens to families, considers socioeconomic and cultural factors, and looks for practical ways to remove barriers and allow children to participate fully in therapy and everyday life. One client’s mother shared how Mickie impacted her family:
“From the very first visit, Mickie took the time to build trust with [my daughter] before expecting anything from her. She made therapy feel safe, enjoyable, and meaningful. That relationship became the foundation for every success that followed.
One of the first things Mickie recognized was that [my daughter] needed better postural support during mealtimes. She recommended and helped obtain a portable booster chair that significantly improved her sitting balance while eating. It may seem like a simple piece of equipment, but it has made a tremendous difference in our daily lives. [My daughter] has always loved eating, and thanks to that chair, we are able to comfortably take her out to restaurants and enjoy meals together as a family with greater confidence and independence.
What has always impressed us most is that Mickie looks beyond therapy sessions. She doesn’t just focus on goals—she sees the whole child and the whole family. Every recommendation she makes has a purpose: to help [my daughter] become more independent while improving our family’s quality of life. She celebrates every milestone with us, listens to our concerns, and truly partners with us throughout our daughter’s journey.”
Client’s mother
Making Every Child Feel Valued
Mickie’s impact is found both in helping her clients achieve significant milestones and in everyday moments. She researches solutions to solve unique challenges, creates chances for children of different abilities to participate together, and looks for ways to meet needs as they arise. She also works collaboratively with families and interdisciplinary teams to remove barriers to care and expand access to services, ensuring that every child can reach their fullest potential. Her work demonstrates how everyday occupational therapy practice can improve not only functional outcomes but also independence and life satisfaction. Mickie helps her clients do more than progress toward therapeutic goals; she helps ensure that every child she serves is able to participate, experience meaningful moments, and simply be a kid.
“As a daughter of Lao immigrants and the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree, my journey into occupational therapy represents resilience, advocacy, and service. I bring lived experience, cultural humility, and relentless commitment to every child I treat… My impact is not limited to outcomes—it is measured in independence, inclusion, and the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive.”
Mickie Phonhnaboth
Impact Award winner
