Research Lab

• Sensory Processing and Stress Evaluation (SPASE) Lab

Professional interests 

• Sensory processing and integration
• Neuroscience applications to occupational therapy
• Pediatric rare disorders
• Biometric measures of sleep and activity levels 

Education 

• 2012: Post-Doctoral Training, Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• 2007: Ph.D. in Health Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
• 2001: M.S. in Occupational Therapy, Gannon University, Erie, PA
• 2000: B.S. in Health Science, Gannon University, Erie, PA 

Certifications and Licensure 

• Virginia Occupational Therapy License
• National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
• Sensory Integration and Praxis Test Certification 

Awards 

• 2022- Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching; College of Health Professions, VCU
• 2020- A. Jean Ayres Award presented by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• 2017- Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• 2011- AOTA Service Commendation
• 2007- Jeannette Bair Writers Award- American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

Peer-Review Publications (Past 5 Years)

• Chu, V.W.T., Payne, S.J., Hunter, M.P., & Reynolds, S. (in press). Development of a Phone Application for assessing Fatigue Levels in Rare Disorders: A Feasibility and Validity Study. Journal of Rare Diseases
• Choudhury, I, Tarver, T., Davis, M.E., & Reynolds, S. (in press). Studying the Specificity of Research Reporting for Ayres Sensory Integration Interventions in Published Literature. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78 (1).
• Reynolds, S. (2023). Improving standards of research reporting in intervention research: Considerations for the RTSS model. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(3).
• Reynolds, S., Daw, E., Babson, I.C., & Chu, V. (2022). What is Barth Tired?: A qualitative approach to understanding fatigue in Barth syndrome from the perspective of family members. Journal of Rare Disorders: Diagnosis & Therapy, 8, (8), 1-8.
• Babson, I.C., Daw, E., Reynolds, S. (2022). Qualitative Investigation of Fatigue and Its Daily Impacts as Perceived By Individuals with Barth Syndrome. Journal of Rare Disorders: Diagnosis & Therapy, 8(7), 1-9.
• Edelstein, J., Middleton, A., Reistetter, T., Walker, R. & Reynolds, S. (2022). Impact of acute self-care indicators and social factors on Medicare inpatient readmission risk. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(1).
• Edelstein, J., Walker, R., Middleton, A., Reistetter, T., Gary, K.W. & Reynolds, S. (2022). Higher frequency of acute occupational therapy services is associated with reduced hospital readmissions. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(1).
• DeBoth, K., Reynolds, S., Lane, S.J., Carretta, H., Lane, A.E., & Schaaf, R.C. (2021). Neurophysiological Correlates of Sensory-Based Phenotypes in Autism.  Child Psychiatry & Human Development.
• Andelin, L., Schoen, S., & Reynolds, S. (2021). A multiple baseline design study investigating the effectiveness of occupational therapy using a sensory integration approach. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75(6).
• McGhee, K., Kidney, E., Bouley, H.P., Pou, K., & Reynolds, S. (2021). The effectiveness of bilateral alternating tactile stimulation for improving sleep in children with sensory over-responsivity. Occupational Therapy in Health Care.  Published online first at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07380577.2021.1946734
• Smiley, J. & Reynolds, S. (2021). Occupational Therapy Management of a Moderate Disease Process of COVID-19 in a Skilled Nursing Center: A Case Report. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Supplement 1.
• Judd, N., Calhoun, H., Chu, V., & Reynolds, S. (2020). The relationship between sleep and activity level in males with Barth syndrome: A cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Rare Diseases Research & Treatment, 5(2), 24-30.
• Reynolds, S., Tucker, M.E., Cade, W.T., Clayton, N., & Lane, S.J. (2019). Dietary Intake and Hedonic Preferences for Sodium in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults with Barth Syndrome. International Journal of Rare Diseases and Disorders, 2(1), 1-9.
• Lane, S.J. & Reynolds, S. (2019). Sensory over-responsivity as an added dimension in ADHD. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 13(40).
• Reynolds, S. & Tucker, M.E. (2019). A multi-faceted approach to enhance pill-swallowing ability in children and adults with Barth Syndrome. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(4). 

Select Clinical Publications (Past 5 Years)

• Belongia, G. & Reynolds, S. (2021, August). Your Driver is on the Way: Increasing Confidence and Safety Using Rideshare to Expand Community Access for Adults with ASD. OT Practice
• Caracci, H., Laverdure, P., & Reynolds, S. (2020). Optimizing creativity for innovative practice: Implications for value-based reimbursement. OT Practice, 25(1), 20-24.
• Kidney, E., McGee, K., & Reynolds, S. (2020). OT’s role in addressing sleep in children. OT Practice, 25(1), 25-27.
• Caracci, H. & Reynolds, S. (2019). Using an intensive-dosing model of sensory integration in outpatient pediatric settings: How and why to change practice based on evidence. SensorNet

Book Chapters (Past 5 Years)

• Reynolds, S. & Pou, K. (2022). Article Summary for “A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of the Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy for Children with Sensory Modulation Disorder” in Pyatak’s (Ed) 50 Articles Every Occupational Therapist Should Know.

• Lane, S.J. & Reynolds, S. (2019). Sensory Discrimination. In Bundy, A., Lane, S.J., Mulligan, S., & Reynolds, S. (Eds) Sensory Integration Theory and Practice, 3rd Edition. FA Davis: Philadelphia, PA

• Schoen, S., Lane, S.J., Miller, L.J, & Reynolds, S. (2019). Research in Sensory Integration and Processing. In Bundy, A., Lane, S.J., Mulligan, S., & Reynolds, S. (Eds) Sensory Integration Theory and Practice, 3rd Edition. FA Davis, Philadelphia, PA.

Key Professional Service

• Advisor to Board of Directors, Spiral Foundation, Watertown Massachusetts, 2023-current
• Editor-in-Chief for the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, July 2020-current
• Editorial Review Board for Austin Journal of Autism and Related Disorders, June 2014-current
• Expert Reviewer for the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI) assessment 2016-current
• Founding member of the Pediatric Research Interest and Mentoring Experience (PRIME) group, April 2013- current