Antonia (Tonina) Llull, MOT, ORT/L, received her Master of Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University in February, 1998, graduating with high honors. Since then, she has cultivated her clinical expertise in the area of pediatric occupational therapy. She established A.LL Therapy Connection, Inc. in 2001; co-founded Maitland Academy, LLC in 2006; served as the Pediatric Rehabilitation Supervisor at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell in 2016 and 2017; and is the President of Dream Big, a charitable organization, since 2011.
“Ms. Tonina – my Play Doctor”, as her pediatric clients call her, specializes in sensory integration and emphasizes the use of multiple therapeutic strategies/modalities, including auditory, visual-ocular, neuro-developmental/neuro-muscular, technological, and psychosocial-emotional approaches coordinated specifically to maximize every child’s potential. While she was Director of A.LL Therapy Connection (2001-2016), she continued to provide medically relevant occupational therapy treatment. Working directly with individuals with special needs and their families is an integral part of what drives her energy and spirit.
Tonina Co-Directed Maitland Academy (2006–2015), a private school for children with varying exceptionalities. There she worked with children K-12 to build their life-long learning skills and independence with a curriculum rich in sensory integrative strategies and positive behavioral support while emphasizing academic, pre-vocation, and vocational skills, as well as social enrichment.
Tonina accepted the call to serve as the President for the charitable organization Dream Big, Inc. in 2011. Her mission is to facilitate that children and young adults, with special needs and/or who are at risk, lead happy, fruitful, balanced lives. She continues to serve in this role and is passionate about raising the funds necessary for scholarships and holistic respite care programs that foster a balanced family life and maximized functional performance.
Tonina served as the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Supervisor at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell, in Manhatten, for both the in-patient and out-patient divisions, where she further enhanced her skills with critically ill children. Tonina continues to work with families and treat children, as well as young adults, while building educational programming for families and professionals. She also provides consultation services in a variety of settings.
Throughout her career, spanning over twenty years, Tonina has always embraced community outreach and education for professionals and patient family members. She regularly offers workshops and presentations on a wide variety of occupational therapy treatment topics as they relate to functional performance across situations and environments. She created and spearheaded various in-services aimed to increase the professional development of her staff (OT’s, PT’s, SLP’s). She has been a guest speaker at FDLERS (Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System), Orange County Public School System, the Florida Foster Care System, University of Central Florida, and the Mosaic Conference.
Founding MPowerMe, LLC culminates her clinical experiences and her love for discovering, sharing, and collaborating with her community to foster growth and creativity in children of all ages.
