Joani M. Richardson, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist who has over 30 years of experience. She spent the first 10 years of her career as a private contractor and traveling therapist in various settings across the country, developing a diverse approach to intervention. The past 20+ years her work has focused on children and adolescents with autism and other sensory and behavioral related diagnoses. In 2007 she developed the Intervention Hierarchy which is a widely used tool that guides problem solving and intervention for clientele with autism and other disabilities. She is also the developer of the PIECES problem solving model, used to guide decision making when managing troublesome behaviors. She has extensive training in the DIR Floortime approach, the Alert Program, and CHAMPS classroom management approach. In addition to managing her private practice which specializes in providing intervention for children with sensory and behavioral issues, Joani does presentations nationally. She has presented numerous seminars and training courses related to sensory issues, behavioral management, handwriting, and intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder to clinicians, therapists, teachers, school support staff, administrators, child care center staff, and parents and has been a featured speaker at statewide professional conventions. Joani graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Kansas. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association.