Beth Elenko, Ph.D., OTR/L, BCP, CLA, FAOTA has extensive experience providing pediatric occupational therapy (OT) services in a variety of settings including home, hospital, and school-based practice areas. Much of Elenko's work focuses on treating children from birth to five years of age in their natural environments. She received her occupational therapy degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1987, and her advanced master’s (1995) and doctoral degree from New York University in applied research in 2000. Elenko is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Roster of Fellows for leadership and scholarship in Early Intervention.
Before coming to New York Institute of Technology, Elenko worked at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University as well as other institutions. She worked on 2 federally funded OSEP personnel preparation training grants for OTs to work in early intervention there before she joined their full-time faculty. Elenko continues her passion to educate providers in early intervention best practices as an academic partner with the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene, Bureau of Early Intervention, where she currently is a consultant.
Elenko is board certified in pediatrics and received her certificate in leadership in academia from the AOTA. She currently serves as a standing committee member as professional development chair on the AOTA Children & Youth Special Interest Section (CYSIS) and is involved in AOTA's Early Childhood Pediatric Workgroup to network with clinicians across the country. She is a passionate educator with real-world experience that has helped clients across their lifespans. Throughout her professional career, she has worn many different hats, sometimes simultaneously, and believes that clinicians, researchers, and educators all play a critical role in preparing future clinicians for evidence-based clinical practice.
Recent Projects and Research
- Early Intervention (birth to three)
- Family-centered best practice: Collaborative embedded coaching and natural environments
- Inclusion for young children
- Telehealth
- Interprofessional Collaborative Education
Recent Publications
- Elenko, B. K. (2021). "Bringing the Family to the Center of Early Intervention Practice in Occupational Therapy," The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(3), 1-3.
- Elenko, B. K. (2021). "They Said: Coaching Alongside Families in Early Intervention," The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(3), 1-7.
- Elenko, B. K. (2021). "They Said: Preparing Future EI Providers Across Disciplines through an Academic Partnership," The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(3), 1-8.
- Elenko, B (2021). Use of yoga practices for young children. World Journal of Yoga, Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, 3(1):1-3. DOI: 10.33552/WJYPR.2021.03.000551.
- Elenko, B. (2021). Best Practices in Early Intervention Screening and Evaluation. in G. Frolek Clark and S. Park (Eds)., Best Practices in Early Childhood. (pp 129-136). North Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.
- Elenko B., (2020) Reflections of Early Intervention Certificate Program (EICP). Narratives of Professional Helping. 26, (4), pp.40-48.
- Elenko, B., December 2020) Chapter 15. Part C: "Best Practices in Screening and Evaluation in G Frank." (Eds). Occupational Therapy Best Practice in Pediatrics. American Occupational Therapy Association.
- Elenko B. (2019). Preparing Occupational Therapists for effective family centered best practice in early intervention. Infants and Young Children. 32, (4), pp. 270–279.
- Elenko, B. & Siegfried, E. (March, 2018). Inclusion in Early Intervention Natural Environments. OT Practice, Vol 23, Issue 5, 8-11. AOTA.
- Elenko B. Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention of Global Developmental Delay: Case Presentation. Phys Med Rehabil Int. 2016; 3(6): 1104.
- Koelbl, H., Myman, Y., Wuestefeld, A., Elenko, B., & Ohl, A. (2016) "OT's Perceptions of STEPS-K, a Response to Intervention (RtI) Program," Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 9, 3, 269–280.
Grants
- Principal Investigator, Families perspectives on coaching in early intervention, NYIT ISRC Grant, July 2022-June 2023.
- Associate Director, Early Intervention Specialization Program (EISP) SUNY Downstate, Department of Occupational Therapy US Department of Education, Office of Special Education, Project# H325K080338 September 2008 to 2013
- Associate Director, Early Intervention Certificate Program for OT's (EICP-OT) SUNY Downstate, Department of Occupational Therapy US Department of Education, Office of Special Education, #HR325A030062 November 2003 to February 2009
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- Research Courses in MSOT and OTD programs
- Early Intervention Special Topics
- Pediatric Content