Child and Family Development

Who are the Educational Specialists at Child and Family Development?

Established in 1980, Child and Family Development has been serving the needs of children and their families in Charlotte. Our pediatric therapy team has over 400 years of combined clinical experience, with expertise and additional certifications in many diagnostic areas.

Our Educational Specialists are trained to evaluate and treat the underlying causes of learning difficulties. Learning concerns may involve specific disorders of reading, writing, and mathematics or problems with attention, organization and study skills.

All of the Educational Specialists at C&FD have advanced graduate degrees in the field of Special Education. They help students understand their learning style, strengthen underlying processing weaknesses and develop strategies for school success.

Educational Specialists offer the following services to maximize growth and development:

• Developmental Screenings and School Readiness Assessments for children 3-5 years of age to help parents plan for the most appropriate learning environment for their child.
• Comprehensive Educational Evaluations to identify a child’s learning strengths and weaknesses
• School Consultations to present a child’s learning strengths and weaknesses to the school to provide the ground work for developing a team approach to meeting the child’s school needs and establishing informed parent advocacy.
• Treatment of Learning Disorders in Reading, Mathematics, Written Expression, Literacy Readiness, Handwriting, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Phonological Processing Delays through an Individual Educational Treatment Plan
• Support for children and adolescents with learning concerns including Study Skills, Homework Strategies, Time Management, Test Taking Strategies through individual treatment as well as intensive small group session available if needed

As a child with proprioceptive hyposensitivity in the classroom, when I had to sit all day without any proprioceptive input that I needed, I began to feel uncomfortable and stressed. This was distracting and gave me a lot of anxiety in school and social situations.  

You might think I could have gotten this need satisfied in gym class or on the playground, but think about the other sensitivities I’ve described to you. I’m visually and tactilely over-stimulated and these are very strong motivators for me to avoid physical activities. Different people will have different levels of sensitivity. For me, the visual and tactile hypersensitivities are stronger than the proprioceptive needs that I have. This meant that I would not easily get the proprioceptive input that I needed. This resulted in me feeling clumsier and more awkward than my peers. 

Ultimately I was left feeling uncomfortable in my own skin most of the time. I had to think a lot about how to move my body appropriately to participate in activities. I had to learn to accept and cope with overwhelming sensory inputs because I didn’t know how to make them feel more manageable.

February 2012 is an important month for

this member of the pediatric therapy team

at Child and Family Development:

·         Melinda Bumgardner, Speech-Language Pathologist – 1 year

Melinda joined the team in 2011, but it seems like she’s been part of the team for much longer. While she’s practiced in the Charlotte community for about 13 years, C&FD gives her the ability to collaborate directly with other professionals and be holistic in her approach. She was accustomed to treating along with Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, this has been her first opportunity to work closely with Psychology and Education practitioners. She enjoys using our blog to share information and suggestions with the public. She completed Hanen training a few months ago and is hoping to offer parents groups this year. Melinda stays busy outside of the office too and is teaching a Junior Roller Derby class starting this month. 

You are an important part of our mission- to provide comprehensive, quality and integrated services to children and families.

Looking for pediatric therapy services near Lancaster, South Carolina?

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is less than 5 miles from the border and easily accessible from I-77 and the 485 loop.

Our multi-disciplinary clinic has been helping children and families since 1980. The team of experienced therapists can assess and treat a wide range of childhood concerns, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities or special needs.

We participate in many insurance plans.  Also, some of our Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy providers accept South Carolina Medicaid. 

The Contact Us tab on our website will link you to our address and Mapquest. 

I recently attended an online webinar on Therapeutic Listening: Listening with the Whole Body. Therapeutic Listening is a sensory integration intervention for children with sensory processing disorders, attention challenges, and motor planning issues. It is specifically designed to address auditory sensitivities; however, because of the anatomy of the inner ear, sound is able to affect both hearing and the vestibular systems simultaneously. This affects hearing, sound localization, and the awareness of where our bodies are in space. Awareness of timing and where our bodies are in space are essential for motor planning and praxis skills. The signals are transported from the ear and processed through the nervous system, creating integration with additional systems that influence coordination of movement, attention, sleep/wake cycles, bowel/bladder control, emotional regulation, and feeding. It was an excellent course that explained the anatomy and use of this exciting tool. I am looking forward to incorporating it into my personal practice and educating parents on the possible benefits of this program.

For more information on Therpeutic Listening, visit Vital Links at http://vitallinks.net/pages/What-is-Therapeutic-Listening-Movie.php

First, what is the proprioceptive system? In every joint in your body is a sensor to tell your brain what position that joint is in. These sensors are stimulated as you change your position and as you move throughout the day. 

I am hyposensitive to proprioceptive input. I was a child who sought proprioceptive inputs. As a child I was happier to be hugged tightly instead of lightly. I was sometimes too rough when playing with toys or other kids, and I frequently felt clumsy.   I was often told to be more gentle, more quiet too now that I think about it, and had to learn to grade my movements. Grading your movements means to touch items with appropriate pressure and be able to modify that pressure appropriately, or to adjust your movements to be appropriate in size for the task at hand. 

I was the child in my family who my mom referred to as “strong like bull” because I would always do heavy work like throwing bales of hay or moving furniture from one end of the house up two flights of stairs to the far end of the attic. These chores were a form of heavy work and when I wasn’t required to do them for a while I found myself seeking, and satisfying, that need for input by rearranging my bedroom furniture.   

• Developing Daily Modulation Plans & Activities Using the Autism/Sensory Survival Kit for Children & Adolescents
  
• Therapeutic Listening

Looking for pediatric therapy services near Rock Hill, South Carolina?

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is less than 5 miles from the border and easily accessible from I-77 and the 485 loop.

Our multi-disciplinary clinic has been helping children and families since 1980. The team of experienced therapists can assess and treat a wide range of childhood concerns, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities or special needs.

We participate in many insurance plans.  Also, some of our Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy providers accept South Carolina Medicaid. 

The Contact Us tab on our website will link you to our address and Mapquest. 

For a long time, therapists at Child and Family Development have helped children and adolescents with feeding difficulties or swallowing problems.

Now, we are starting a new service: Feeding Groups using the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach.

This approach, developed by Kay Toomey, Ph.D., targets feeding, oral motor and sensory skills. This program teaches differences and similarities between foods, helps kids learn to appreciate a variety of tastes and textures through exploration and play.

Two tenured therapists have advanced training and expertise:

• Barb Hartshorn, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Therapist, has over 20 years of experience
• Marion Wilm, OTR/L, C/NDT, Occupational Therapist, has over 25 years of experience

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●My prayers have been answered in such a marvelous way.  The Karate Program has been instrumental in my son's life by   increasing positive character traits. Each Wednesday, because my son knows that he will attend the Karate Program, there is an exuberant sparkle in his eyes. He has always kept his room clean, but because of his increased independence, he asks to vacuum his room and other rooms in the house on this special day!  Prior to the Program, negative characteristics existed such as anxiety, fear, nervousness, frustration, and a lack of focus.  Currently, the positive character fruit produced within my son is patience, improved body strength, courage, confidence, increased maturity, increased independence, increased responsibility, and joy. I am thankful to God for Amy, Sensei Riaan and for the Karate Program.  The love and compassion given to my son weekly is more than any parent could imagine.  This Program has exceeded my expectations.  It is a blessing. It is a gift from God.”-Mother of a 16-year-old boy diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome

 
For over a year now, our son, who is on the autistic spectrum, has been attending a weekly karate class under the direction and tutelage of Sensei Riaan.  He has never been in a structured group setting like this, and he is thriving more and more after each session.  His confidence level has increased because he feels successful, and is able to be with and keep up with his peers.  We have noticed significant improvement in his balance, motor skills, and coordination, as well as his social and play skills.  One of the particularly commendable aspects of this program is the way it is organized with each child having an outside support person to work along with him and help and guide him, as necessary.  I highly recommend this class to everyone; especially our special people who need extra love and support! -Parent of a Karate Group Participant

As an adult with tactile hypersensitivity I have never bought sheets or towels without feeling them first. I buy my clothes online from very few stores and very hesitantly at that since I can’t feel them first. In fact, the only store I shop for clothes at online, my mother bought clothes from first so I happened to know what they would probably feel like in advance. When my husband and I go to home décor stores I touch all of the towels, throw pillows, and blankets. It is not at all uncommon for me to find the softest throw pillow or stuffed animal in the store and carry it around for our entire shopping trip. Thankfully, my husband tolerates this as long as I don’t expect to buy these things. 

I’m very particular about the items that touch my skin. I can’t fall asleep if the sheets on the bed are crooked because if there is more blanket hanging off one side of the bed (and me) than the other then I can feel the unevenness in the weight of it. I’m picky about our furniture, our floor and window coverings. Most of the textured items in our home are bought with the feel of them being the primary concern, even above what it looks like.