Dana Katz Murphy is a Paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 20 years of experience and a recognised expertise in sensory integration. She is a qualified Ayres Sensory Integration Practitioner, holding a research-based, accredited, and internationally recognised qualification in sensory integration. Dana is one of the few occupational therapists in Ireland trained in the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI), enabling her to assess sensory integration functions critical to learning, behaviour, and participation using a valid and reliable set of tests.
Graduating with distinction and as joint first in her class from the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Medicine in 1998, Dana is a CORU-registered therapist. Her extensive career spans over two decades of working in paediatric private practice, consulting in mainstream and supported schools across both private and public sectors.
Dana is deeply committed to inclusion, early intervention, and a child- and family-centred approach to therapy. She emphasises a developmental model that considers a child’s intrinsic motivation, daily occupations, and environmental factors to maximise their potential across home, school, and play settings.
Her professional interests include sensory integration, animal-assisted intervention, the impact of early trauma on development and learning, and Interactive Metronome therapy, for which she is a certified provider. In 2016, Dana founded an inclusive preschool supporting children with a variety of needs, such as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, communication challenges, and developmental delays. Her model of teaching is based on peer motivation and regulation to enhance learning and development.
Dana’s contributions to the field extend internationally. She is part of the team collecting normative data for the EASI assessment and serves on the Board of the South African Institute for Sensory Integration (SAISI). Since 2014, she has lectured and mentored graduate students in sensory integration, holding ethics and workshop development portfolios. Prior to joining Sensational Kids in 2021, Dana spent 12 years on the National Ethics Committee of the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa (OTASA).
In addition to her work with children, Dana incorporates animal-assisted interventions with her registered therapy dog, Lexi, creating a nurturing and engaging therapeutic environment.
Professional Qualifications
- B.Sc. Occupational Therapy (Distinction), University of Cape Town, 1998
- Ayres Sensory Integration Practitioner (SAISI)
Memberships
- Association of Occupational Therapists in Ireland (AOTI)
- CORU (Health and Social Care Professionals Regulator, Ireland)
- World Federation of Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa
- South African Institute for Sensory Integration
- Pets as Therapy
- AOTI Child and Young Persons Advisory Group (CAYPAG)
Awards
- Certificate of Excellence for Ongoing Service and Passion to the Profession, Western Cape Paediatric Practitioners Group (2013)
Recent Continuous Professional Development
- ADOS-2 Clinical Training for Clinicians, Trinity College Dublin (2022), led by Professor Louise Gallagher, Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry