Dr. Andrew's Biography

Dr. Carol Andrew, EdD, OTR is a development specialist at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. With over 26 years of experience as an occupational therapist, Dr. Andrew, who works primarily with children with disabilities aged 6 years and younger, puts her experience to the test each and every day. Her focus and her passion are these children and their families; through them she has cultivated her core belief that parents are their children's biggest assets. Additionally, Dr. Andrew believes that a child's development is dependent upon strong interaction with caring adults.

Dr. Andrew works daily with children in any number of debilitating situations such as development disabilities, autism, behavioral disorders or multiple medical problems. She specializes in providing a family-centered, functional aspect to her patients' evaluations and strives to give families a greater knowledge base for the development and progress of their infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Studying Language Development

Dr. Andrew and other developmental specialists have noted a significant change in the development of young children, particularly in their language and social behavior. There is a strong feeling in the profession that one of the problems lies within the environment in which young children are receiving their care. She and her colleagues feel that often children do not get enough interaction and that television or electronic toys are often substituted for real human contact. Dr. Andrew's proposed cure is simple one-on-one adult-child interaction.

Putting Knowledge into Practice

Dr. Andrew's clinical and professional experience led her to seek out books, toys and activities that promoted early language development and interaction between child and caregiver. In addition to her duties to her patients, she now uses her extensive training and experience to assure that all of the books, playsets and activities in SoftPlay's dynamic product line support language development and encourage early learning. Dr. Andrew has also encountered amazing results with the help of SoftPlay products in her treatment of various patients.

Dr. Andrew, an occupational therapist with over 26 years of experience, is the mother of four and has been a host to many foreign exchange students. In addition to her work at Dartmouth, she also conducts a private practice. Dr. Andrew travels to the homes of children with developmental disabilities and provides their families with ideas, suggestions and early intervention strategies to help their children learn more effectively.