OT Krysti

Krysti Teng, MS, OTR/L, BCP (she/her/hers) is an Occupational Therapist. She received the 2025 AOTA Emerging Leader Award.

She serves on AOTA’s Volunteer Leadership Development Committee & holds advanced certification in Ayres Sensory Integration®. Find more evidence based practice in Ayres Sensory Integration® here: https://linktr.ee/otkrysti

Book a time to connect here: https://calendly.com/otkrysti

08/24/2026

Excited to share that I’ve joined the KGI Occupational Therapy Doctorate program as an Adjunct Clinical Professor, where I’ll be teaching Advocacy, Policy, and Ethics this fall in Claremont!

I’m lucky to continue my full-time role at UCLA Lab School while in this opportunity. I’m especially looking forward to connecting real-world clinical practice, leadership, and systems-level advocacy, and engaging students in topics about the policies and ethical decision-making that shape our profession. We already have an amazing line up of guest speakers, including AOTA’s Heather Parsons, OT Association of CA’s Lauren Lopez, and Clarice Grote | Occupational Therapy Medicare Policy & Advocacy’s Clarice Grote to share what advocacy looks like in our field!

A big thank you to the KGI faculty for the opportunity and my Lab community for continuing to foster my quirky professional interests. I’m excited to continue growing as a practitioner while also helping students develop the knowledge and confidence to advocate for their clients, communities, and the future of occupational therapy. We have the best profession out there!

08/12/2026

I am thrilled to have FINALLY received and cracked open my copy of Solomon & O’Brien’s Pediatric Skills for Occupational Therapy Assistants, 6th Edition! 📚🥳

Writing a chapter for an OT textbook is a milestone I never anticipated in my career. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute a chapter on one of my favorite areas of practice: Sensory Integration and Processing in Occupation in Chapter 25.

This project was also a reminder of how important mentorship is. A huge thank you to Aimee Piller for accepting my invitation to mentor and guide me through the writing process. I learned so much, both about writing for a textbook and about translating the complexities of sensory integration and processing into meaningful, practical information for future OT practitioners.

I am also incredibly grateful to Natasha Smet for believing in me and inviting me to be part of this project. I never imagined writing an OT textbook chapter would be part of my professional journey, and I am so thankful for her belief in me before I did. It was an honor to be part of such a talented and dream team assembled group of OT leaders in their respective specialties.

Lastly, what makes this chapter particularly meaningful is that I was able to include some of my students in the images throughout the chapter — and UCLA Lab School received a special shoutout in the acknowledgements! It feels incredibly full-circle to have the inclusive school-based OT work that inspired so much of this chapter represented in the book itself.

Feeling very grateful for the mentors, students, colleagues, and communities who helped make this opportunity possible 💛

Please take a read!

04/26/2026

Another Inspire in the books! I never take our annual OT conference for granted — I am always inspired, reflecting, and energized with new professional goals for myself.

Best yet, there’s something so special about reconnecting with colleagues who have become friends, meeting new leaders in our field, and engaging in the kind of rich conversations that push our profession forward (and, dare I say, more FUN than ever?! 👖⚽️).

From conversations about the many forms of play across the lifespan to sharing strategies for how school-based OTs with advanced training in Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) can implement this work, even within tight budgets (like mine!), I’m leaving inspired to keep these conversations going and continue breaking down barriers.

One takeaway I’m holding onto: when we connect our work to access and participation, we move closer to a future where every child has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of ability status or zip code.

Grateful for these moments and dreaming big about what’s ahead for our field ✨

04/13/2026

Excited to share that I’ve started as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at .otd, where I’ll help teach Children and Youth and its corresponding Fieldwork Level I course this summer!

The timing couldn’t have worked out better — I’ll still be full-time at while stepping into this new opportunity. I am especially looking forward to bridging evidence based clinical practice into the classroom with the incoming hybrid OTD students and continue growing as both a clinician and educator.

A big thank you to Jayna Niblock for the referral and for taking me under her wing — I’m so grateful for the support and mentorship. Looking forward to a meaningful summer ahead!

04/06/2026

Headed to ?

If you’re building your conference game plan, don’t forget to bookmark these sessions in your planner so you can catch me there! 👀📍

• Wed 4/22 at 7:30pm SIS Networking Event (Hilton Anaheim Pacific Ballroom CD)
• Thurs 4/23 at 8:30am Poster 304 - State of Play (ACC Hall A)
• Sat 4/25 at 10am Short Course 316 - Bringing ASI to Schools (ACC Room 204AB)

Looking forward to sharing ideas, learning alongside colleagues, and connecting with everyone. See you there! ✨

01/17/2026

2016 challenge they say? Ok, enjoy these gems of Ms. Teng, the middle school teacher in Louisiana! 🙈

Back when I knew nothing about supporting student sensory needs in the classroom, but was trying my best to apply what I knew from my undergrad occupational science courses and see what sticks. And laughing/crying/treading water with the best of friends who stuck through the best and hardest of times — including my now husband (we taught at the same school for a year and shared some of the same sped students! 🤯). This was the year I transitioned from rural 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math teacher to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade resource sped teacher! ✨

Funny how much can change in 10 years! 🥰🧠📚

11/13/2025

Hooray! It’s out!! 🌟🎉

It’s with immense pleasure that our systematic review of sensory interventions with children and youth from 2015-2024 is officially published! We were a resilient group who continued to hit the ground running for nearly 2 years altogether from inception to publication.

I’m especially grateful for the mentorship and trust of this powerhouse team who guided me through every step.

You can read the full open-access article on Frontiers in Pediatrics: https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1720179
(Link also in bio!)

11/11/2025

👋 Let me (re)introduce myself! Celebrating my birthday week with a fresh new profile pic! 🎉

I’m Krysti, a pediatric occupational therapist in Los Angeles helping children feel seen, supported, and understood ✨

My work centers on sensory integration and processing through a neurodiversity-affirming, strengths-based lens — blending current research with real-world practice to help every student thrive. 🌱

I’m passionate about partnering with educators, families, and students to celebrate diverse ways of being and close the opportunity gap.

Fun facts about me!
🐶 Dog mom to .the.pom1 from
☕ Biiiiiig mocha lover
📚 I may work at , but I’m a 3rd generation Trojan 😉✌🏼
💡 Advocate for nontraditional leaders + OTs having a seat at the table — because we’re experts in universal design and independence!

💫 Here’s to inclusion, collaboration, and leading with purpose.
📸 Thanks .photography for the beautiful new headshot!

Address

Los Angeles, CA
90095

Website

https://linktr.ee/otkrysti

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