Sarah Comandante

My practice focuses on little ones from birth to 6 years old, with a special love for supporting infants and toddlers who need help with feeding, developmental skills, and regulation. The earlier we can start, the better the outcomes – tiny changes now can make a lifelong difference!

The children and families I support represent a wide range of experiences and diagnoses: from autism, ADHD, and developmental coordination challenges to cerebral palsy, anxiety, or simply delays in one or more areas of daily function. Many of my clients don’t have formal diagnoses at all; they just need extra support with feeding, motor skills, or emotional regulation to help them thrive.

Of course, babies never come to therapy alone. I work just as closely with the parents and caregivers of my clients who are equally a part of their feeding and developmental journey. When families feel empowered to bring what they learn into everyday routines, progress tends to take off! 

I’m also expanding my work with breastfeeding dyads as I continue training toward becoming an IBCLC. 

I meet my clients exactly where they are. I love listening to client stories and helping people validate their feelings along the way. I’m a lifelong learner with a deep curiosity for the “why” behind everything, so families can feel confident that I’m constantly learning, researching, and staying current with best practices in pediatric care.

My experience spans a wide range of ages and settings, from the NICU to geriatrics, and from homes and clinics to schools and daycares. That variety helps me tailor strategies that actually fit into real life, not just our therapeutic hour! I often see clients both in the clinic and in their home or community spaces to better understand how different environments shape their skills and experiences.

And yes, I’m absolutely the therapist who will finger paint with yogurt or wear sweet potato splatter like a badge of honour. A little spit up? Something worse?! Bring it on. It’s real life! 

Co-regulation!! It’s easy to think that if we just add more therapy, more structure, or more strategies, something will finally stick. But the foundation for skill-building is a nervous system that feels safe and loved. We can’t be curious or learn when we’re stuck in a constant cycle of fight or flight.

As adults, we are our little ones’ biggest role models. We have to walk the walk before we ask them to talk. Our own regulation and behaviours as caregivers matter deeply, even when it feels like our kids aren’t paying attention or are too young to notice.

Children learn best through what they see and feel around them. They need to see us talking about how every food fits, listening to our body cues, practising self-regulation, acknowledging our own feelings and needs, and showing compassion to others. Kids don’t yet have the capacity to remember and apply strategies on their own, so it’s up to us – their supportive adults! – to lean in and learn alongside them.

I took up pottery a few years ago as a self care activity to harness creativity, let go of control, and physically ground myself through the elements. I love to spend time in my studio playing with clay and enjoying the process of something slow!

I love to try new sports and jump at any opportunity to play tennis, pickleball, or badminton. I’ve captained a slow pitch team for the past 6 years (we just won the title this year in our first spring/summer 16-week league), and play on an indoor volleyball team in the fall/ winter. I used to be a basketball player and swimmer, but these days I spend most of my time golfing, skiing, hiking, or playing any kind of social sport. Bonus points if my rescue dog, Bailey, can come for the fun! 

I’m the big party planner within my friends and family. I love to cook, bake, decorate, and plan get-togethers for every occasion. Exploring new restaurants, bars, and cafés while showing others around Alberta brings me so much joy. I think in a past life I was an event planner or a tour guide.

• Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Eating (SOS Approach) practitioner
• Member of the Canadian Lactation Consultants Association (CLCA)
• Understanding Handwriting in School-Based Children (CAOT)
• CERP for “Tethered Oral Tissue – Reviewing current trends and recommendations for clinical practice” (CLCA)
• Course Certifications:
  • Framework 101 (The MEHRIT Centre)
  • The Shanker Method® 101 (The MEHRIT Centre)
  • Infant Feeding Foundations Workshop (Babble & Munch Learning)
  • Picky Eating in the Preschool Classroom (My Munch Bug Learning)
  • Vision 101 for School-Based Occupational Therapy Practitioners (Miss Jamie OT)
  • Tongue Tie, Breastfeeding, and the Lactation Savvy Therapist (The Lactation OT)
  • Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention (Beckman and Associates Inc.)
  • Handwriting Without Tears Print Workshop (Handwriting Without Tears)
  • Intro to Infant CST Protocols and Techniques (Lori Hendrickson)
  • The Occupational Therapists Role in Breastfeeding (The Lactation OT)
  • Bottle Feeding Skills- Refining Clinical Reasoning for Selection and Use (The Lactation OT)
  • Pre-Feeding Exercises: A Sensory Motor Approach (Talk Tools)
  • The TOTs Team: Bodyworker’s Role (Talk Tools)
  • We Should All be Airway First Responders! (Talk Tools)
  • The 5 Keys to Behaviour Regulation: How to Support ‘Challenging Behaviour’ in a Kinder, More Effective Manner (Kelly Mahler OT)