Child and Family Development

A research study in Germany shows that children with ADHD do not process emotional information during sleep as well as their typical peers do. Click here to read about the study on the Medline Plus blog.

When we sleep, we work out all of our problems. It’s the time when our subconscious allows us to work through issues that have caused us stress during the day, and it let’s us feel better the next day. It’s probably where the phrase “sleep on it and you’ll feel better in the morning came from."

It’s helpful to let some time pass after stressful situations because that time allows our mind to work through those emotions that we experienced.

This study shows that, for children with ADHD, this is not the case. We often see children with ADHD who also have behavioral challenges and difficulty with emotional regulation.

In the case of these children, the study finds that it is very important to help them cope with their daily stresses in an active way. Try talking with them and teaching them to acknowledge their feelings and work through them, playing games to act things out, encourage exercise and physical activity to help calm them and relieve tension. 

Allowing stressors to pass for ADHD kids without helping the child work through them is likely to have consequences that we don’t see with typical kids. A typical child will be able to “let those stressors go” because their brains are working it out in their down time; whereas the brains of children with ADHD are not working through these emotions as successfully on their own.

Keep this in mind when your child has a rough day or seems stressed or anxious about something.  It is more important than we’ve realized to help them work through the little stressors of the day.

Earlier this month, Stephanie Gerlich, a Speech Language Therapist at Child & Family Development's South Charlotte office, completed It Takes Two to Talk® — The Hanen Program® certification.

The It Takes Two to Talk program teaches parents, step-by-step, how to become their child’s most important language teacher. It is designed specifically for parents of young children (birth to 5 years of age) who have been identified as having a language delay. In a small, personalized group setting, parents learn practical strategies to help their children learn language naturally throughout their day together.

Melinda Bumgardner, another speech therapist at the Midtown office of Child and Family Development, is also certified. 

We will be sharing details about C&FD Hanen Parent groups soon.

Want to learn more about our Speech Language Therapy team and services? Click here to visit our website or click here to check out a brochure about our services.

The Child & Family Development team in Charlotte, NC, is growing! We have two Full-Time clinical opportunities:

Occupational Therapist

Physical Therapist

Click here to visit the Careers tab on our website for more information.

In an occupational therapy evaluation at Child and Family Development, we use a holistic approach and look at the whole child. This may mean that we will include a vision screening.

In a screening, we don't determine whether or not a child's vision is 20/20 or if their eyes are healthy. We determine whether or not the eyes work together as a team, such as while tracking moving objects while the head remains still or moving smoothly without any jumps.

If we do suspect that eye movements may be a contributing factor to a child's skill difficulties or visual understanding of what they see, we may recommend a full developmental optometry evaluation.

One of the community providers who our team works closely with is Dr. Philip Bugaiski at the Developmental Vision Center in Charlotte. Click here to read some information that Dr. Bugaiski offers parents about vision therapy and vision assessments. 

If you are concerned about your child's handwriting, fine motor coordination, cutting, or visual skills, an occupational therapy evaluation may be helpful to narrow down the contributing factors. After we find the underlying difficulties, skill develoment can be targeted so that your child can be more successful.

Click here to visit Child & Family Development's website and learn more about the Occupational Therapy services and staff at our Midtown and South Charlotte offices. 

Click here to download a brochure about Occupational Therapy Services at Child & Family Development.

Happy C&FD Anniversary to Charese Holcombe! Charese is one of the Front Office Coordinators at Child & Family Development's Midtown location in Charlotte. Charese has been with C&FD for one year.

When asked why she enjoys working at C&FD, Charese said that she loves getting to know the clients and their families.  She also enjoys seeing the client's progress during their hard work at Child & Family Development. Charese said that C&FD feels like a "home away from home" and enjoys the family-friendly atmosphere. 

Kelly Casell, Charese's teammate at C&FD South Charlotte office, notes that Charese has a great personality and is always wiling to help if needed. Charese's Midtown teammate, Nikki Griesmer, enjoys working next to Charese because she is fun and light-hearted.  Everyone at C&FD appreciates Charese's hard work and service and looks forward to working with her for many more years to come!

We are excited to share that iCan Bike is back in Charlotte this summer for the seventh consecutive year.

The bike camp, formally known as Lose the Training Wheels, was renamed iCan Bike. It's the same great camp, just with a new name! 

This year, the camp is June 24-28. The Autism Foundation of the Carolinas is organizing and sponsoring this wonderful event again.

As in previous years, this is not a camp just for children with autism spectrum disorders. All children with special needs who, because of their uniqueness, have not been able to learn to ride a bike can attend.  

Please visit the website www.autismcarolinas.org, click on Inclusion-Based Programs, and look for iCan Bike Camp information, including an application and volunteer forms or email at bikecamp@autismcarolinas.org.

Summer is here! Trade your backpacks for beach bags!

The car is packed, the family is excited, and chances are everyone is bored 30 minutes into the ride. If your family is taking a vacation from technology as well, try  these “unplugged” options to keep your kids thinking while passing the time. 

Classic license plate games

The options to play games using license plates are endless, depending on the age of your kids.

• Younger kids can call out letters in alphabetical order; the first one to Z wins.
• Ask your child to identify the letter and provide the correct sound. 
• Older kids can "collect" out-of-state plates they see. (Make it tougher by going in alphabetical order.)
• Write down the numbers and letters you see on license plates.  Ask kids to make words and number sentences using the numbers and letters you wrote down. 

Create a scavenger hunt

Create a scavenger hunt list before you leave.  Kids can search for everything from farm animals to popular landmarks.  Keep a running tally of what you see to practice math vocabulary with younger children. Who has the most, least, equal, how many more do the have?

MadLibs!

Who knew grammar could be so fun!  Children can take turns practicing parts of speech while creating silly stories.  MadLibs are available at most bookstores and have even been spotted at the Dollar Store on occasion.

The Picnic Game:  Practice working memory skills!

One player says, "I went to a picnic and brought” (then name a picnic favorite that begins with the letter A, like apples). The next player repeats the opening phrase, and then adds one that begins with B: "I brought an apple and some bread."  Make it challenging for older kids by naming objects they see along the way.  For example, A is for armadillo, B is for barn, etc.

Last week, Jessica Sapel, a physical therapist at the South Charlotte office of Child and Family Development, received a beautiful note from a child’s mom.

Now, the parent delivered the letter during an aquatic therapy session so we can’t be sure if the letter had water drops because of the pool or the tears it brought to Jessica’s eyes.  And, she’s not saying…

Here are some of the nice things Mom wrote:

• You point out the ways that my son is growing and I remember this is a journey that is not over yet, no need to hurry or worry.
   
• I am so thankful that you show me the way with my son and give me hope that he will find his own way too.
   
• People with disabilities are often overlooked or avoided.  You are one of the few who teach him that he is important too. 
   
• I cannot tell you what it means to have someone else share in my joys over his milestones. 

Thank you Mom, we appreciate those very kind words!

Child and Family Development provides pediatric therapy services at several Charlotte schools throughout the year including: 

• Charlotte Secondary School
• John Crosland School
• Metrolina Regional Scholar's Academy
• The Fletcher School
• Union Academy Charter School

Thanks for working with us during the 2012-2013 school year. Have a great summer and we'll see you in the fall!

An recent article on Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, examine the value of regular physical activity for children. This article highlights objective research that shows without a doubt that there are big benefits to this heavy work activity that we recommend for our kids. The benefits are not just for the kids with sensory or self-regulation challenges, but for all kids. 

Click the following link to read the full article: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_137130.html
 

Here is an excerpt: “Since the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001, 44 percent of school officials have cut back on physical education to devote more time to reading and mathematics in the classroom," according to the report.

However, research suggests that regular physical activity may actually improve academic performance, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) noted. For instance, aerobic fitness is linked to working memory and problem solving. Recess offers children the opportunity to develop social skills and use their imaginations. Benefits of physical activity during the school day are greater than the benefits of exclusive use of classroom time for academics, the authors concluded.”

This is especially relevant to OT because we frequently treat children who have difficulty with self-regulation. These are kids who are getting all of the sensory inputs that the world has to offer but they can’t seem to handle it all and so their systems get disorganized. This results in all kinds of challenges for them to function successfully in their daily settings. We frequently recommend what we call “heavy work” activities to help with this outside of what we do in the clinic environment. 

Heavy work is essentially physical activity that grown-ups would call exercise. It’s generally anything that makes your heart beat faster, makes you sweat, and makes you breathe heavier. 

In my work as an Occupational Therapist at Child and Family Development, I hear often from children that they “didn’t have to do anything” in gym class or they didn’t have to participate. Even if your child has a regular hour of gym class every day, which is not so common anymore it seems, it is still important to help them move around outside of school. 

Tips for getting more exercise in

• Try to go for a walk after dinner or right when you get home. It doesn’t have to feel like work to count as exercise, any movement is good movement. That exercise will actually help them sit better for homework time. It may be beneficial to delay homework time for 30 minutes to go for a walk. I know it’s hard to work full time, take care of everything else in your child’s schedule and still even find time to feed yourself something decent let alone to add something to that schedule. 
• Start small, start by just going outside in the yard to play catch or basketball for 5 or 10 minutes at a quiet point in the day. Work your way up from there. 

The research shows exercise is not just good for your children’s physical health but perhaps even more importantly it’s beneficial for their emotional and mental health as well.

We are glad to be celebrating 3 years in our South Charlotte office.

We moved into the 7000 square foot space back in 2010 and have covered every inch of it with therapy materials and equipment for kids, adolescents and young adults.

All 5 of our core services- Education, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy- are offered here from the team of about 16 therapists.

Give us a call if you like a tour.

Summer is fast approaching and families are always asking for ways to carryover language skills  into the home. Summer is a perfect opportunity to get more language through everyday tasks. These tasks can be used for children with expressive and receptive language skills delays or deficits.  Here are some quick ideas that you can use to carryover your child's speech therapy goals:

-Cook! Cooking with your child offers numerous vocabulary, sequencing and communication opportunities! Talk about words like ingredients, supplies, steps for the recipe.

-Go to the park! Great opportunities to elicit prepositions and where questions! Going up and down on the slide and asking where to go next!

-Go on a nature scavenger hunt! Either at the park or in your back yard, have your child collect different items and then talk about then when they find them. Have them describe colors, shapes, textures and the location where they found them!

-Attend community activities! Many times in the summer, activities within the community are free. Having the child recall events from the activity and answer wh-questions about what they saw is a perfect way to elicit language.

-Plan a trip! Planning a trip could be as simple as going to the grocery store or a sleepover at a friends house. Have your child talk about items that are needed, sequence events, and ask questions about activities.

-Read! Make sure to read plenty of books with your child throughout the summer! Talk about characters, what happens next and think of different endings to the story!

-Play! Simply sitting down with your child, playing with their toys is a great time to access langauge! Toy houses, farm animals, tea sets, play dough, blocks are all great toys. Spend the time eliciting imagination in your child.

-Make something! Spend a day doing arts and crafts. Kids learn through doing!

Summer is about having fun and language activities can be easily added into your daily lives!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about speech therapy at Child and Family Development, please contact me, Jayne Walton, M.A., CCC-SLP, by phone (704-541-9080 ext. 213) or email (jwalton@childandfamilydevelopment.com).

Trusted Parents- Special Parents for Special Children has a mission to empower parents and caregivers through support, services, awareness and advocacy that will enhance the lifestyle of chilren with special needs.

Their next meeting is on Thursday, May 30 from 5:30-6:45 P.M. at Imaginon in Charlotte, NC. 

Support, free childcare and validated free parking for the 90-minute meeting and 3 door prizes are available!

Contact them for more information at:  980-229-7253 --- trustedparents@gmail.com  --- find them on Facebook

The pediatric therapy team at Child and Family Development encourages families to participate in community adovocacy. 

As technology expands, so can the gap between what you and your teen know about social media. Often teens and tweens are on the cutting edge of social media, with adults left to try to learn about the latest new thing. Technology can be a wonderful way for people to stay connected, especially if they live far apart. However, as a parent, it is important to be familiar with all types of social media your tween or teen may be using. Here are a few of the most popular social media applications/websites:

• Facebook
• Tumblr
• Vine
• Instagram
• Twitter

Recent research supported by NIH and conducted by Dr. Jennie Noll suggests parents should talk to their children about online media use. She found that being involved with a child’s online presence proved key in protecting children. Setting parental control devices did little to protect them. Talking about what they use and how they use it should happen in a safe, non-threatening manner. Ask questions. Your child probably has a lot to teach you!

Listen to this Department of Health and Human Services podcast at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2013/05/20130503a.html

According to the Denver II, 25% of children can walk backwards by 12 months, 75% by 15 months, and 90% by 16 months.  Once your child has learned to walk forwards successfully, they will then attempt to take steps backwards.

Walking backwards is a critical skill for children to learn.  This skill is essential for protection from falling backwards.  If a child falls forward they can catch themselves with their hands, but if they are falling backwards they have to be able to take steps to regain their balance to keep from falling on their behind…or worse on their head.

Protective backwards stepping is developed last, after forward and sideways protective stepping.  Similarly, children walk significant distances forward first, then sideways, and then they learn backwards walking for distance. 

How to help:

·        When a child is first learning to walk backwards, stand in front of them and hold onto both of their hands.  Help them take small steps backwards while continuing to hold their hands.  As this becomes easier, try holding just one of their hands while they walk backwards.  I like to make it more fun by saying “beep… beep…beep” like a truck is backing up. 

·        I love playing this game looking at a full length mirror.  Then I can walk forward holding the child’s hand with both of us facing the mirror.  Then, we walk backwards together.  When kids are just learning this, I like having 2 adults, one on each side of the child holding their hand going quickly up to the mirror and then backing up slowly.

·        Give your child a cart or stroller to push.  At first have them push the cart forward, then slowly back up the cart for them for them to recover and step backward.  Silly sounds when going backward make this more fun. 

·        Give your child a pull string toy (like the xylophone, duck or puppy dog toy) or a 1 hand pull toy (such as the classic popcorn popper or a pretend vacuum cleaner) to encourage them to walk backwards.  I like the pull string toys particularly because when you pull the string and walk backward, you can see the toy work!

·        Try playing “I’m going to get you” with your child.  Crouch down with your arms up and in “sneaking up” position and walk toward them to encourage them to step backwards to avoid letting you “get them”.

·        If your child is not bad at backward and you just want more of a challenge, give your child a path to follow.  Place small markers, such as carpet squares, a sidewalk chalk path drawn on the driveway or pieces of paper taped down to the floor.  Tell them to take steps backwards with each foot hitting a marker or staying inside the path.  If this is too hard, start off with 2 hands held, fade to 1 hand, and then work to independently.

Need help?

If you want help with these suggestions or notice developmental warning signs, a Physical Therapy evaluation can determine if your child is simply showing normal variability in gross motor development or if your child can benefit from intervention.  Call me today at (704) 332-4834 ext. 114 to set up an evaluation.

References

"Your Child's Walking Timeline." BabyCenter. Baby Center, Aug. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-childs-walking-timeline_10357004.bc>.

"Gross Motor Skills for Toddlers: 12-24 Months." Child Development 12 to 24 Months. Early Intervention Support, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.earlyinterventionsupport.com/development/grossmotor/12-24months.aspx>. 

Does your baby’s head seem to be tilted to one side? This may be a result of torticollis, also known as “twisted neck.” This condition occurs in about 1 in 250 babies. Babies with torticollis have their head constantly tilted to one side and typically have their neck rotated to the other side. Most commonly, babies with torticollis will tilt their head to the right and rotate their neck left.  Congenital muscular torticollis can happen before or during childbirth. In the womb, a fetus may become cramped in the uterus. Abnormal positioning of the fetus, such as a breech position, can at times lead to this condition. This type of positioning puts the fetus’s neck muscle, the sternocleidomastoid in a shortened position. After birth, persistently asymmetrical positioning of their head and neck may also encourage the development of acquired torticollis. Either way, the shortened state of their neck muscles causes the muscle to tighten, making it rather difficult for your baby to turn their neck.

There are several warning signs for torticollis to be aware of:

·        If your baby has limited neck movement, caused by muscle stiffness.

·        If your baby has a small bump, on the muscle that runs from the center of the neck to behind the ear.

·        If your baby constantly holds their head tilted and looks at you over one shoulder.

·        If while breastfeeding, it is difficult for them to turn their head to feed on one side.

·        If your baby’s head seems to be flattened or asymmetrical, on one side, due to constantly having their head turned.

Other things to be aware of:

Other disabilities can sometimes be associated with torticollis. Clinically, we find that babies who experience reflux will almost always have their head tilted to the left and only look up and right, to create more space in the esophagus. We also see that language challenges can be associated with babies who have their head tilted to the right and rotated to the left. It is highly likely that if your baby is diagnosed with a plagiocephaly (asymmetrical distortion of the shape of the skull) that your baby will have a torticollis. Klippel-Feil Syndrome is an orthopedic condition in which the cervical bones within the vertebrae are abnormally formed or fused together. This condition can cause congenital torticollis as well.

 It is imperative to understand what exactly is causing your baby’s neck problems due to the disabilities that can be associated with these conditions. About 10-20% of babies born with congenital muscular torticollis, due to abnormal fetal positioning, also have hip dysplasia. Hearing and kidney problems can be associated with Klippel-Feil Syndrome. Although very rare, genetics and underlying conditions such as, a tumor in the brain or spinal cord that has caused damage to muscles, can also cause congenital torticollis.

If you have any concerns or notice any of the above mentioned warning signs, a Physical Therapy evaluation at Child and Family Development can determine if your child can benefit from intervention.   

Resources:

“Torticollis.” BabyCenter. BabyCenter, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. http://www.babycenter.com/0_torticollis_10912.bc

“KidsHealth.” Infant Torticollis. The Nemours Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/bones/torticollis.html