Inspired by Sal. Created for every child who deserves the opportunity to reach for more.
Smile Therapy for Kids New Jersey began with one little boy, one family's search for more possibilities, and a dream to bring those possibilities closer to home.
It started with Sal
A family's search for more.
Salvatore, affectionately known as Sal, experienced a hypoxic brain injury around birth and lives with significant physical disabilities, including cerebral palsy. His family has spent years navigating therapies, specialists, equipment, accessibility needs, travel — and the emotional and financial realities that families of children with disabilities often experience.
In their search for more possibilities, Sal's family traveled outside New Jersey for intensive and specialized therapy. One of the approaches they encountered was Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI). After watching Sal work incredibly hard and make meaningful gains — in strength, participation, postural control and movement — his mother was inspired to help make specialized therapy opportunities more accessible to families closer to home.
That vision became Smile Therapy for Kids New Jersey.
Sal is the inspiration behind the mission, and every child and family who walks through the doors becomes part of a larger purpose.
Mission
Bring specialized pediatric therapy opportunities closer to families across New Jersey and beyond.
Vision
A place where children are respected exactly as they are while working toward meaningful, individualized goals.
Founder
A mother and disability advocate, inspired by lived experience — building the resource she once searched for.
Clinical care
Provided by licensed, appropriately trained clinicians who make clinical decisions within their professional scope.
Clinical leadership & mentorship
Grounded in specialized training.
Therapists providing DMI receive appropriate training and mentorship. Our clinical leadership and mentorship relationships will be shared here as they are formally confirmed.
Jo-Anne Weltman
DMI mentorship and training relationship — role, credentials and involvement to be published once formally confirmed.
Clinical Director
Name, license and credentials will appear here once confirmed.
Join the journey