Kara Gibson is the director of pediatric services and an occupational therapist. She earned a bachelor of science in occupational studies and a master in occupational therapy from the University of Kansas.
Kara began her work at Heartspring in 2008 in our residential school. She was an integral team member in establishing specialized student programs including Caffeine Connection and toothbrush video modeling. During her time in the school, she also served as an ambassador in our international outreach program, traveling to China to train parents, teachers, and government leaders on best practices for children and young adults impacted by autism.
Kara’s next challenge was as an occupational therapist in our pediatric services department. There, she expanded her caseload and gained more experience. After a few years, Kara was promoted to the assistant director of pediatric services, and in her first year, she expanded programing to serve additional children with hearing loss through home and community services.
Her work led her to her current role as director of pediatric services. Her director endeavors entail ensuring growth in the number of children receiving pediatric services and implementing collaborative and comprehensive therapy services for children with varying diagnosis.