Karin van Niekerk qualified as an occupational therapist in 2000. She completed her Masters and PhD at the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) at the University of Pretoria and joined the staff of the CAAC as a junior lecturer in 2008. She is currently a senior lecturer at the Occupational Therapy Department of the University of Pretoria. Her research focuses on early childhood intervention, with a specific research interest in the utilisation of assistive technology and environmental modifications to improve the participation of children with disabilities in society.