Education Disclaimer

  Root & Rise Sensory Solutions

  Educator Disclaimer

  Please read before accessing any Root & Rise content, program, or community.

  Last updated: April 6, 2026  ·  rootandrisesensory.com

Who Melissa Summers Is

Melissa Summers is the founder of Root & Rise Sensory Solutions and a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) with 15+ years of experience in sensory development and pediatric practice.

Root & Rise Sensory Solutions is not an occupational therapy practice. As a COTA, Melissa's clinical work was always conducted under the supervision of a licensed OT — a practice scope she has intentionally moved outside of in founding Root & Rise. When you work with Root & Rise, you are receiving parent education, not occupational therapy services.

Melissa's OTA background informs the quality and accuracy of the educational content she teaches. It does not make Root & Rise a clinical practice, and it does not make your participation in any Root & Rise program equivalent to receiving occupational therapy.

What Root & Rise Is

Root & Rise Sensory Solutions is a parent education company. Our programs — the Sensory Energy Audit, Sprout Toolkit, Seedling Course, Taproot Intensive, and The Greenhouse — are designed to:

• Help parents and caregivers understand the sensory systems and how they influence their child's behavior and regulation
• Teach the S.O.I.L. framework — a four-step educational model (Sensory audit, Orient the Body, Integrate the home, Life in full bloom) — as a lens for observing and supporting a child's sensory needs at home
• Build practical skills for navigating hard days, sensory overload, and daily routine challenges
• Support parents in creating a home environment that reduces sensory friction and promotes regulation

Root & Rise is an educational service. It is not a clinical service, a therapy practice, or a substitute for professional evaluation or treatment.

What Root & Rise Is NOT

⚠  Nothing offered by Root & Rise Sensory Solutions constitutes occupational therapy, medical advice, clinical assessment, diagnosis, or any form of therapeutic treatment.

Specifically, Root & Rise does not:

• Provide occupational therapy services or any other licensed clinical treatment
• Diagnose or screen children for sensory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, developmental delays, or any other condition
• Interpret your child's clinical evaluations or make clinical recommendations
• Replace or replicate the services of your child's occupational therapist, pediatrician, psychologist, or other licensed care provider
• Guarantee any specific outcome for any child

Melissa's Role in Your Family's Journey

Melissa teaches from the parent educator lane. This means her role in any Root & Rise program is to:

• Educate parents on sensory systems, nervous system regulation, and the S.O.I.L. framework
• Support parents in observing their child through a sensory lens — not to observe or assess the child directly
• Offer frameworks and tools that parents apply to their own family using their own judgment

Melissa does not assess, evaluate, or provide clinical interpretation of individual children in any Root & Rise program — including Taproot, which is a 1:1 parent mentorship, not a child assessment or treatment program.

When to Seek Professional Support

Root & Rise strongly encourages every family to pursue professional evaluation and clinical support when appropriate. If you have concerns about your child's development, sensory processing, behavioral regulation, or overall wellbeing, please consult with a licensed professional — including a licensed occupational therapist, pediatrician, developmental pediatrician, or psychologist.

The S.O.I.L. framework and all Root & Rise educational content are designed to complement and support professional care — not to replace it. Many families find that the parent education tools from Root & Rise help them better understand and support the work their child's clinical team is doing.

Limitation of Liability

 BY PARTICIPATING IN ANY ROOT & RISE PROGRAM, COURSE, COMMUNITY, OR EVENT, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING PARENT EDUCATION — NOT CLINICAL SERVICES. YOU AGREE TO HOLD ROOT & RISE SENSORY SOLUTIONS LLC, MELISSA SUMMERS, AND ANY ASSOCIATED EDUCATORS HARMLESS FROM ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM THE APPLICATION OF EDUCATIONAL CONTENT TO YOUR FAMILY'S SITUATION. 

RESULTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED. EVERY CHILD AND FAMILY IS DIFFERENT, AND INDIVIDUAL OUTCOMES WILL VARY BASED ON A WIDE RANGE OF FACTORS OUTSIDE ROOT & RISE'S CONTROL. 

THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY DOES NOT APPLY TO DAMAGES ARISING FROM GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT.