Dana Katz Murphy is a Paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 20 years of experience and recognised expertise in sensory integration. She is a qualified Ayres Sensory Integration Practitioner, holding an internationally accredited, research-based qualification in sensory integration. Dana is among a select group of occupational therapists in Ireland trained in the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI), enabling her to assess sensory integration functions essential for learning, behaviour, and participation using a valid and reliable set of tests.

Graduating with distinction and joint first in her class from the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Medicine in 1998, Dana is a CORU-registered therapist. Her career spans more than two decades in paediatric private practice, alongside consulting in mainstream and supported schools across both private and public sectors.

Dana is deeply committed to inclusion, early intervention, and a child- and family-centred approach to therapy. She champions a developmental model that considers a child’s intrinsic motivation, daily occupations, and environmental factors to maximise potential across home, school, and play settings.

Her professional interests include sensory integration, animal-assisted intervention, the impact of early trauma on development and learning, and Interactive Metronome therapy, for which she is a certified provider. In 2016, Dana founded an inclusive preschool supporting children with diverse needs, including Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, communication challenges, and developmental delays. Her teaching model leverages peer motivation and regulation to enhance learning and development.

Dana’s contributions extend internationally. She is part of the team collecting normative data for the EASI assessment and serves on the Board of the South African Institute for Sensory Integration (SAISI). Since 2014, she has lectured and mentored graduate students in sensory integration, holding ethics and workshop development portfolios. Prior to joining Sensational Kids in 2021, Dana spent 12 years on the National Ethics Committee of the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa (OTASA).

In addition to her clinical work, Dana is Co-Chairperson of the Child and Young Persons Advisory Group (CAYPAG) for the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI).