The Sensational Kids Team
Meet the team here at Sensational Kids! Each one of our team members and therapists are passionate about helping children grow and succeed.
| Kelly McCown, MHS, OTR/L |
Kelly is an Occupational Therapist at Sensational Kids. She is originally from Suwanee, GA. Kelly graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education. She continued her education at Augusta University, formerly the Medical College of Georgia, where she received her Master of Health Science degree in Occupational Therapy. Before joining Sensational Kids, Kelly worked with the pediatric population at an outpatient clinic in the Atlanta area where she provided clinic and aquatic based therapy services. Kelly has been a part of Sensational Kids since 2014 and has enjoyed working with children of all ages to achieve independence in their daily activities. She is currently certified in Interactive Metronome and the SOS Approach to Feeding and has enjoyed taking continuing education courses in the areas of Sensory Processing, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Visual Processing, and Kinesiotaping.
In her free time, Kelly enjoys cheering on the Georgia Bulldawgs and spending time with her husband, son, daughter, and dog.
| Meredith Anderson, OTR/L |
Meredith’s journey started with graduating from Brentwood School in 2010 as an honor graduate. From there, she attended and graduated from Georgia College and State University in 2014 with a B.S. in Exercise Science. In 2017, Meredith graduated from Brenau University with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and started her career with Sensational Kids in February of 2018.
Meredith’s continuing education has focused around classes that help her plan and achieve goals to become a better Occupational Therapist. Meredith has recently attended the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding. All clients at Sensational Kids receive personal, professional care, and she is proud to be a team member striving for success each and every day.
Meredith is married to Daniel Anderson and resides in Appling, Georgia. Together, they enjoy being outdoors, traveling and spending time with their families.
| Hannah Barrett, COTA/L |
Hannah is an NBCOT certified and state licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Clemson University in 2019, and following graduation her passion for others led her to continue her education at St. Catherine University in Minnesota. After relocating to the Augusta area, Hannah completed her final Fieldwork rotation as a student here at Sensational Kids before joining our team at the start of 2022. She loves working with the pediatric population and is excited to take continuing education classes that will help her be a better OTA. She is currently certified in the SOS Approach to Feeding Therapy.
When not at work, Hannah enjoys hiking and camping with her husband, Tyler. They reside in Aiken, SC, and love getting to travel whenever they can.
Thaila Schug, OTD, OTR/L
Thaila has her clinical doctorate in occupational therapy and practices here at Sensational Kids. She graduated with her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida with honors and went on to complete her doctorate at the University of Florida for occupational therapy. Thaila completed a program called INSPIRE that gave her more clinical experience and knowledge in early intervention (children under 3) and is certified in the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) program where she helps individuals with tics manage them. Thaila has always been drawn to pediatric occupational therapy to help children achieve independence in their day to day activities. Building relationships with her patients and their families and seeing their progress and confidence build over time has always been fulfilling to her.
Thaila is originally from St. Petersburg, FL and lives with her husband and her dog here in Augusta. In her free time, she loves to read, write children's books for fun, visit Disney, and travel
| Fred Neiwert, MOT, OTR/L |
Fred is a licensed and registered occupational therapist originally from Boise Idaho. He graduated from Boise State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. He then went on to complete a Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2018 from Eastern Washington University. Prior to completing his MOT, Fred worked with children ages 2-18 as a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist, and also as a Habilitative Interventionist. Fred completed his Autism Spectrum Clinical Specialist Certification in 2022 and SOS Feeding Therapy training in 2020. He has provided OT services for the pediatric population since 2019 and is excited to continue serving the CSRA.
Fred enjoys spending time with his wife, Cierra, and two sons. Together they like be outdoors gardening, playing disc golf, playing at the lake, or exploring the forest.
| Jayla Flournoy, M.Ed., CCC-SLP |
Jayla is a speech-language pathologist at Sensational Kids. She is originally from Thomson, GA. Jayla graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2018. She loved Valdosta so much that she stayed to receive her Master of Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2020. Jayla has worked in many pediatric settings as well as with the geriatric population. Jayla spent her externship while in college at Sensational Kids and returned in 2024 to work at Sensational Kids fulltime. She loves working with children of all ages to help them not only improve their communication skills but improve their overall confidence and independence.
In her free time, Jayla enjoys travelling, shopping, exercising, and spending time with her loved ones.
| Shyla Brailsford, MA, CCC-SLP |
Shyla is an ASHA certified and state certified Speech Language Pathologist in Georgia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health in 2018 from the University of South Carolina and from South Carolina State University in 2022 with a Master of Arts in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. After graduation, Shyla worked for the Richmond County Public School District then transitioned to private practice. Shyla has experience working in a wide variety of speech and language disorders.
Outside of work, Shyla likes to travel with her friends and binge watch Netflix series; or rewatch Harry Potter or Hamilton for the millionth time.
| Caitlin Roorda, MS, OTR/L |
Caitlin is an NBCOT certified and state licensed occupational therapist. Caitlin is originally from upstate NY. Caitlin graduated from Utica College in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies. Caitlin graduated from Utica College in 2019 with a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. Caitlin loves working in pediatrics! Caitlin is interested in learning more about sensory processing and feeding. Caitlin has experience working with pediatrics in different settings including early intervention, schools, and outpatient pediatrics.
Caitlin enjoys spending her time outside of work by traveling and hanging out with her boyfriend and two dogs, Larry and Dale.
