About

Keri Wilmot headshot
Photo by Becky Branch Photography

Keri Wilmot, also known as The “ToyQueen” is a pediatric occupational therapist, toy expert, and special needs parent, whose expertise is sought after by many organizations and toy companies.

Keri is a full-time pediatric occupational therapist, with more than 23 years of clinical experience. Professionally Keri specializes in working with infants, young children and their families with ADHD, Autism, Sensory Processing Issues, and other physical disabilities. Her goal is to educate parents and help  child and young adults learn new skills at home, school or in the community to be as independent as possible. 

 

You can watch a video about Keri’s experience here:

Over time it was clear that Keri had developed a talent for finding developmental toys that promoted a child’s educational skills, in fun, natural and playful ways. So Keri, along with her husband Derek, a photographer and multimedia specialist, decided it was time to put both of their talents together to create a resource for all parents, and ToyQueen was developed in 2009 through the creation of toy reviews on YouTube.  

ToyQueen.com and its various social media channels (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) are places to follow Keri, where she shares toy suggestions, recommendations, games, attractions, events, and experiences from all over the world. Keri’s goal in this role is to help all parents and caregivers learn practical ways to play with their children everyday through unique products and experiences.

Keri’s first book, Wired Differently: A Teacher’s Guide to Understanding Sensory Processing Issues was published by Gryphon House, in September 2020. Keri’s next book on fine motor skills is currently in development with the same publisher.

Keri currently serves an OT expert in her role with Understood.org. Understood.org is a premier online resource that provides information and support to the parents and caregivers of children ages 3-20 who struggle with learning and thinking differences. Since 2015, at Understood.org, Keri participates in regularly scheduled events such as live Facebook lives and webinars. She has been featured in many videos for Understood that feature common occupational therapy topics. Keri is also one of 4 group experts in Understood’s free Wunder app, where she writes weekly posts and answers community questions daily for anyone 13+, in the “Sensory Challenges and Movement” group.

For The Genius of Play, Keri’s knowledge as a play expert and occupational therapist was utilized to share information with readers through articles, Facebook Live events and speaking engagements. Keri represented The Genius of Play as a speaker at the  National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Professional Learning Institute in Austin, TX in June 2018. You can view a list of her articles here

For several years, Keri used her expertise to contribute monthly to Common Sense Media by edtech reviews of educational apps and websites, which you can check out here.

Keri’s expert opinion has been featured in various toy, parenting and juvenile resources in articles on: Maisonette, The Strategist, The Bump, The Helm ABA, New York Post, New York Magazine, Scary Mommy, Care.com, Big City Moms, Your Money Geek.

If you like podcast episodes, Keri was featured on The Neurodiversity Podcast, Understood’s In IT, Elevating Early Childhood, The Parenting Brief, and ADHD Essentials.

A free EdWeb webinar for teachers on “Creating A Sensory Friendly Classroom” is featured here.

Keri is a 10x attendee at New York Toy Fair, a 1x attendee at London Toy Fair and a 3x attendee at Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, Germany the International Toy Fair where she is part of prestigious ToyAward jury.

Live television media segments include:

Keri ghost writes and contributes content to companies looking to enhance their social media strategy and blog posts. She has also utilized her expertise to provide consultation for product and brand development with companies.

Keri was the main content provider for the Toys site at- The Spruce.com  (formerly The Toys Expert at About.com) from 2011 to 2017. Keri wrote unique content regarding toys and games for children of all ages, with over 1 million page views per year.

Clients and brands Keri has worked with include: Hasbro, Mattel, Mega Brands, LEGO, LEGO DUPLO, Disney Consumer Products, Disney Movies, Disney Parks, Toyota, PBS Kids, Dreamworks, Chobani, Coppertone, Brookstone, Proctor & Gamble, Best Buy, Stonyfield, CVS MinuteClinic, HP, Samsung, and the Boston Red Sox.

Keri and her family attended the Social Media on the Sand, an invite-only blogging and social media conference hosted by Beaches Turks and Caicos, in October 2014 and 2015.

She and her family attended Family Forward at Universal Studios in August 2017, which is an invite-only event hosted by Mom It Forward.

Contact Keri at: Keri@ToyQueen.com

In addition to product reviews and giveaways, Keri is available for spokesperson roles on national television, new toy/game product consultation, speaking at events, and developing content. If you are interested in developing a working relationship with ToyQueen.com please contact:  Keri@ToyQueen.com.

 

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