James S. Canalita, OTD, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist who originally grew up in Southern California. He moved to Northern California for graduate school and received his Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from Samuel Merritt University. James completed his Level II Fieldwork rotation with AbilityPath and attributes this wonderful experience as the reason for wanting to work with children of all abilities. Before joining AbilityPath, he was a school-based OT working with students aged 6-22 with autism at Pacific Autism Center for Education (PACE). As an Occupational Therapist, he believes in the value of building relationships and connecting with children and their families. He is motivated to help children of all ages develop the skills needed to function in their daily lives. In doing so, he also believes in making these experiences fun so children can explore, discover, and learn how to apply these skills not only at home, but out in the community as well.

In his free time, James enjoys hanging out with his wife and friends, listening to music, and collecting trading cards. He is a huge Pokémon and sports fanatic who enjoys cheering passionately for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cincinnati Bengals.