Welcome to Smiley Riley! My name is Allison and I am the owner of Smiley Riley Sensory.

 

My interest in special education began in high school when I joined Best Buddies, a program designed to pair general education peers with special education peers to form inclusive friendships. While in Best Buddies, I made many strong friendships that I still have today. As I continued becoming more and more involved in Best Buddies, my heart for working with kids with disabilities continued growing. I knew I was meant to work in the special education field and advocate for children with disabilities. 


After high school, I pursued a degree in Special Education through Western Governors University and began working in an ABA center, where I continued widening my understanding of what services are available to children with special needs. I realized that what brought me the most joy as an educator was working with children in one-on-one environments, where I could best meet the needs of each child. This led me to transitioning to nannying. 

 

In February of 2023, my husband Dan and I welcomed our first child, Riley. Riley was born at 34 weeks with no complications. As our beautiful girl grew, our doctor realized that she would benefit from therapies. We began PT, OT, speech therapy, feeding therapy, developmental therapy, and aqua therapy. During our therapies, my understanding of ways to help children with special needs expanded even more, and my heart for working with kids with special needs kept growing. Many of Riley’s therapists suggested to me to start making sensory bins at home, to help encourage Riley in being exposed to new skills and textures. 

 

With my professional background in special education and my experiences as a teacher, Mom, and nanny, I realized that creating my own sensory bins would be a great outlet for allowing me to support families with young children. My goal is to create sensory bins that promote curiosity, the development of fine motor skills, and play between child and caregiver. I want my sensory bins to be inclusive for children of all abilities, while helping children explore new skills and topics. 

 

Smiley Riley is really a cumulation of my passion for working with children with special needs, my goal for providing all children with high-quality sensory play, and my professional understanding of the importance of sensory play. I hope our products make you, and your child, smile as big as our Riley girl!