The Whole Class Surfs Together: Creating a Shared Regulation Language forYour Room

Tracey DeMaria, OTD, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with over two decades of clinical experience. She has advanced training in sensory integration and mental health, and currently practices as a school-based OT while serving as adjunct faculty at Moravian University. Tracey is the author of How to Surf the Waves, a sensory and emotional regulation curriculum that uses surfing metaphors to help children understand their nervous systems. Drawing from both her clinical expertise and lived experience as a neurodiverse person, she advocates for approaches that integrate sensory and emotional regulation rather than treating them separately. Tracey is passionate about bringing OT knowledge into school-wide conversations about mental health and moving beyond punishment-based systems toward understanding and connection.