Sensory Processing Challenges
The tag in the shirt, the hand dryer in the bathroom, the birthday party you left after ten minutes.
Learn MorePediatric Occupational & Physical Therapy · Baldwin, NY
Kids ask to Come back.
Your week has quietly shrunk to what your kid can handle. Here, it is one-on-one with a licensed occupational and physical therapist, inside a 2,100 square foot sensory gym, and the hard things start to look like play.
Saturday appointments available
2,100 Sq Ft Sensory Gym
Baldwin
Freeport
Ages 2 to 16
Rockville Centre
5.0 on Google
Oceanside
Watch Every Session Live
Merrick
Saturday Appointments
Roosevelt
Long Beach
Nassau County CPSE Provider
Nassau County
Birthday Parties
Queens County
What We Treat
Sound familiar?
You know something is harder for your child than it should be. Here is where that usually shows up.
Difficulty with Self-Regulation
Zero to a hundred over the wrong cup, and forty minutes before anyone can talk to him again.
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Fine Motor Delays
Buttons, zippers and scissors are still your job every morning, long after his friends stopped asking.
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Gross Motor Delays
Last one up the playground ladder, and the first to say she is done playing and wants to go home.
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Handwriting & Visual-Motor Difficulties
Twenty minutes of homework takes two hours, and the page still comes back from school circled in red.
Learn MoreThe 30-Second Sensory Check
Not sure what you’re seeing?
Three taps. No forms. You know your kid better than any checklist does, so start there.
What are you noticing most?
How long has this been going on?
Where does it show up most?
You don’t need a diagnosis or a referral to start. A comprehensive evaluation tells you what is actually going on, and what to do about it.
Services
One gym. Seven ways to start.
Every session is one-on-one with a licensed occupational and physical therapist, and you watch the whole thing from the waiting room.
Pediatric Physical Therapy
Strength and balance built so stairs, running and keeping up stop being the parts your kid sits out.
Pediatric Occupational Therapy
Your kid gets through the day with less friction: dressing, writing, transitions, and sitting still enough to learn.
Sensory Processing Therapy
Loud rooms, scratchy tags and crowded places stop ending the outing early.
Self-Regulation
Big feelings still happen. They just stop swallowing the whole afternoon.
Fine Motor Development
Buttons, zippers and scissors move from your hands to theirs.
Gross Motor Development
Climbing the wall, crossing the monkey bars, landing the jump: the skills that make a kid feel capable.
Handwriting Classes
Letters your kid can form without being told twice, and homework that stops taking all night.
The Plan
A plan you can see. Progress you can watch.
You’ll never have to guess whether it’s working. Four phases, each with a job, and a way to know your kid has earned the next one.
Phase 1 of 4
Starts at the evaluation
Pinpoint
Make the hard days less hard.
- A comprehensive initial evaluation that looks at the whole kid, not one skill
- We start where it costs your family most: the mornings, the meltdowns, the homework
- Plain language about what is actually going on, with no waiting for a report
Building the base
Prime
Build what the skill sits on.
- Sensory processing work, so the room stops competing for your kid’s attention
- Core strength and body awareness, built on the climbing wall and the zipline
- Motor planning: working out the steps before the body has to do them
The skill itself
Perform
Do the hard thing. Then do it at school.
- The actual skill: buttons, letters, scissors, the monkey bars
- Practised until it holds up outside this room, at school and at your table
- Direct collaboration with your child’s school so everyone is working the same goals
Carryover and home
Prevent
Know what to do next time.
- Regular reassessment, with clear graduation criteria instead of a standing appointment
- Discharge planning starts once goals are being met with at least 80% accuracy
- A home program, so the gains keep going after the sessions stop
Not sure where your kid would start? That’s exactly what the evaluation is for.
Get My Child’s PlanWhat Parents Noticed
Before: we could not take him out to eat or to social events
After: he plays with the other kids at school and even goes to their birthday parties and play-dates
Carmen T.
4 months of bi-weekly visits
Before: her daughter started at Planet Sensory almost 6 months ago
After: “We look forward to going each week!”
Brigid B.
Almost 6 months
Before: our first session, and a son who was completely comfortable the moment we walked in
After: he looked forward to his sessions, which had a big impact on progress
Angela D.
Weekly sessions
Before: had been to many kids OT and PT places, none with a big sensory play area
After: a lot of improvement in his son’s fine motor skills
Sebin R.
Before: his previous therapy reminded him of the doctor’s office
After: the moment we walked in, my son was excited to be there
Fatima S.
The Numbers
Nothing here is rounded up.
18+
Years of Pediatric OT Experience
28
Google Reviews, 5.0 Average
2100
Sq Ft Sensory Gym
2–16
Ages We Work With
5.0 on Google 28 verified reviews Watch every session on the live feed Rates published up front
Why Planet Sensory
You’ve been through an evaluation before. Not like this.
A lot of families land here after a school district said no, or after a year of ‘let’s wait and see.’ Here’s what’s different when one licensed therapist owns the whole hour.
One-on-one
Every session
One-on-one, every session
Your kid is never handed off to an aide, and never folded into a group you didn’t choose.
A licensed therapist, every time
Every session is one-on-one with a licensed occupational and physical therapist, starting with a cause-first evaluation.
You can start without a referral
In New York, a pediatric occupational therapist can evaluate and treat for up to 30 days without a physician referral, for non-restorative services when your child is not in acute care.
You watch the whole thing
HD cameras stream the session to the television in the waiting area, and your therapist debriefs with you afterward.
A Nassau County CPSE Provider
CPSE is the Committee on Preschool Special Education. If your preschooler is going through the CPSE process, we are a provider for Nassau County families.
Your First Visit
Know exactly what to expect.
No mystery, no surprises: here’s exactly how the first visit goes, and where you’ll be sitting for it.
0:00
Your kid gets to look around.
Paperwork is done at home. No clipboard, no hallway, no one calling your child in from a waiting room.
0:05
We start with what you’re noticing.
How the mornings go, what school has said, and everything you’ve already tried on your own.
0:25
The evaluation happens in the gym.
Swings, slides and the climbing wall, while we watch how your child moves, plans, and handles the room. You watch it on the live feed.
0:55
You leave with the plan.
What we found, the goals we’d set, and what the next few weeks would actually look like.
One visit. You walk out knowing what’s going on, what we’d work on first, and what happens next.
Book My EvaluationMeet Your Provider
One therapist. She knows your kid’s name.
Planet Sensory is family owned and operated. Ester is the clinician here, so the person who evaluates your child is the person who treats your child.
Ester Marcellin
M.S., OTR/L · Founder
- 18+ years
- STAR Institute
“My goal is to create a safe and engaging environment for kids to explore, improve their sensory and motor skills, and feel empowered to try hard things.”
Ask me about
How a sensory gym with a zipline and a climbing wall became her clinic
Parent Stories
In their own words.
S
Sebin R.
I been to many kids OT/PT places, never seen a big sensory play area like planet sensory. I see a lot of improvement in my son’s fine motor skills.
via Google
C
Carmen C.
Been bringing my grandson here for months and it’s been amazing . He has learned a lot quickly and the staff is beyond sweet and amazing
via Google
A
Angela D.
The moment we walked in for our first session my son was completely comfortable, we felt so welcomed by Miss Ester!
via Google
A
Arya N.
Esther is an amazing occupational therapist, she knows what she’s doing and always explains things in a way that’s very understandable.
via Google
B
Brigid B.
Ms. Ester has created a safe, warm, welcoming environment, and each individual therapist mirrors that same warmth. We look forward to going each week!
via Google
a
ali a.
Her individualized approach is very both effective and appreciated as she focuses on the unique strengths and needs of each child.
via Google
S
Stacy L.
As both a mom and a physical therapist (not a pediatric therapist!), I can honestly say this place is amazing. The therapists are creative, patient and really know how to connect with kids.
via Google
C
Carmen T.
After just 4 months of bi-weekly visits my son is more confident, engaged, social, and more communicative.
via Google
F
Fatima S.
Like another parent said, the moment we walked in my son was excited to be there. His previous therapy reminded him of the doctor’s office.
via Google
J
Jillian B.
As a pediatric therapist myself, I appreciated her child-led approach, targeting goals through play. My only regret is not finding Planet Sensory sooner!
via Google
R
Roschelle M.
Ester was so patient with my 7 yo son who has autism and sensory challenges. The gym was always clean and I felt all of my son’s safety needs were being met.
via Google
A
Ariana M.
My son has been receiving therapy here and he has made drastic improvements in a short time.
via Google
Live From Google
Don’t take our word for it.
Every review below is pulled live from Google, written by parents. We can’t edit them. That’s the point.
Our live Google reviews load here. If they don’t appear, you can read all 28 of them on Google.
The Honest Truth
Skills build on skills.
Your kid isn’t the cost of waiting. The time is. Here are both paths, honestly.
If you keep waiting
- The next skills sit on the ones that haven’t come in yet
- Your kid keeps working harder than everyone around them just to keep up
- The mornings, the homework and the outings stay exactly as long as they are now
- Another year of being told to wait and see
If you start now
- A comprehensive evaluation tells you what is actually going on, in plain language
- One-on-one with a licensed occupational and physical therapist, in a 2,100 sq ft sensory gym
- A phase-by-phase plan with an endpoint, and you watch every session on the live feed
- Discharge planning once goals are met at 80% accuracy, then a home program
You weren’t waiting because you didn’t care. You were waiting because someone told you to.
Book My EvaluationThe Boring Stuff, Handled
What this costs, before you ask.
Out-of-network, and we bill for you
We are an out-of-network provider. If your plan has out-of-network benefits, we submit the claims on your behalf. If it does not, just ask, we will walk you through the cost before you ever book a visit.
Credit cards, cash, checks, FSA and HSA all accepted. Questions about coverage? Call us: (516) 744-7550
Free benefits check
Send us your plan details and we will find out what your out-of-network benefits actually cover for your child, then call you with the real number. No guessing, no surprise bill later.
Request received.
We’re on it. You’ll hear from us within one business day with your exact coverage and cost, before you ever book a visit.
Questions, Answered
Everything you’re wondering before you book.
Straight answers: no medical jargon, no runaround.
Not to begin. In New York, a pediatric occupational therapist can evaluate and treat for up to 30 days without a physician referral, for non-restorative services like handwriting, learning and developmental skill training, when your child is not in acute care. If your plan needs paperwork from a doctor, we’ll tell you exactly what to ask for.
Ages 2 to 16, individually and in small groups. Every session is one-on-one with a licensed occupational and physical therapist, inside a 2,100 square foot sensory gym with slides, monkey bars, a climbing wall and a zipline.
We are an out-of-network provider. If your plan has out-of-network benefits, we submit the claims on your behalf. Our published self-pay rates are $360 for the comprehensive initial evaluation, then $90 for 30 minutes, $135 for 45 minutes and $180 for 60 minutes, with 10% off an 8-session package and 15% off a 12-session package. We accept credit cards, cash, checks, FSA and HSA.
Yes, and the two work together. School-based OT supports your child’s access to the school day, and it is usually shared time. What happens here is complementary to it: one-on-one sessions in a sensory gym, with direct collaboration with your child’s school. Ester is also an evaluator for the NYC Board of Education’s CPSE preschool program.
Every single one. HD cameras stream a live feed to the television in the waiting area, so you see the whole session as it happens. Your therapist also debriefs with you afterward, so you know what was worked on and what to try at home.
As long as the goals take, and no longer. Your child is reassessed regularly, and discharge planning begins once goals are being met with at least 80% accuracy. You then leave with a home program for maintenance and carryover. It is a plan with an endpoint, not a standing appointment with no finish line.
It starts with a comprehensive initial evaluation. We ask you what the hard parts of your day actually look like, then we look at the whole kid: sensory processing, motor skills, and how your child handles a room. Your child gets to explore the gym while we do it, and you watch from the waiting area. You leave with what we found, the goals we would set, and what a plan would look like.
Yes. We offer birthday parties in our 2,100 square foot sensory gym, with the slides, monkey bars, climbing walls and zipline your kid already knows from sessions. Call us at (516) 744-7550 to ask about dates and details.
Book Your Visit
Ready when you are.
Tell us what you’re noticing at home. A real person calls you back to set up the comprehensive evaluation. No phone tree. No ‘someone will reach out.’
- Hours Mon–Thu 1:00pm–7:00pm · Fri 10:00am–7:00pm · Sat 9:00am–2:30pm · Sun Closed
- (516) 744-7550 Prefer to just talk it through? Call us.
- Saturday appointments, 9:00am to 2:30pm
5.0 · 28 Google reviews
Ages 2 to 16, individual and group
Step 1 of 5
Request sent.
That’s the hard part done. We’ll call during business hours to set up the evaluation and answer whatever you didn’t get to ask.
Visit Us
Right on Merrick Road, in Baldwin.
Planet Sensory
- 826 Merrick Rd, Baldwin, NY 11510 (opens in new tab)
- (516) 744-7550
- ester@planetsensorytherapy.com
- Mon–Thu 1:00pm–7:00pm · Fri 10:00am–7:00pm · Sat 9:00am–2:30pm · Sun Closed