Child and Family Development Psychologists

Visit the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s website, www.samhsa.gov/children, to learn more about National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on May 9 and the Caring For Every Child’s Mental Health initiative.  

2012 marks the seventh year of this special day and the effort to reinforce the belief that positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development

SAMHSA's "Caring for Every Child's Mental Health" public awareness effort was created in 1994 with the mission to increase awareness around children's mental health. The "Caring for Every Child's Mental Health" team works to support SAMHSA-funded sites through the strategic use of social marketing and communications strategies. The overarching purpose of the team is to stimulate support for a comprehensive system of care approach to children's mental health services.

Summer is a great time to complete the Cogmed Working Memory Program. 

Cogmed Working Memory Training is an innovative computer-based program designed for children contending with attention deficit challenges. Easy to implement at home, it is clinically proven to increase a child’s working memory capacity and concentration while building impulse control and complex reasoning skills. Among other advantages, Cogmed Working Memory Training can be the means to better academic and professional performance.

Visit their website, http://www.cogmed.com/, for more information about this state-of-the-art intervention.  A free parent webinar is available.

Last year, Dr.  Joy Granetz became one of a few trained Cogmed Practitioners in our area.   She is currently accepting Cogmed clients for the late spring and summer.   

To find out if this program is right for your child, call Child and Family Development South Charlotte office at 704-541-9080 to schedule an initial appointment.    

After her son completed the Cogmed Working Memory Training program here, a mother shared their story with Child and Family Development:
 

A few years ago, my son was diagnosed with ADD/ ADHD.  His grades were non-existent, as he forgot or refused to do his work.  His behavior was spotty at best, and when frustrated would have frequent tantrums and loud outbursts.  He was on several stimulant and non stimulant medications to try to help him control his attention, outburst, and impulsive behavior.  None worked.  Even with medication, he was a short tempered, short focused mess.  The last straw was when the medicine he was taking caused him to faint on a waterslide.  Imagine my horror!  Was there nothing that would help my child that won’t make him a zombie or cause other risky side effects?

In a final effort, we reached out to Dr. Joy Granetz.  She recommended a program that did not involve medication that would improve his attention, behavior, and memory.  This was too good to be true!  We knew we had to try this Cogmed program.

The Cogmed program was easy to install, and my son loved the exercises and rewards at the end of the day.  While not every day was “fun”, weekly phone conferences between him and Dr Granetz made him feel in control and a part of the process, while the reward system motivated him to continue.  Even when we had to go out of state unexpectedly, we were able to take the Cogmed program with us and use it on the road, wherever an internet was available.  This made it easy to stay on task, and complete the sessions on schedule.  Five week flew by quickly, and for the first time my son enjoyed the since of accomplishment from following through a program from beginning to end.

Now, 2 months later, the difference is staggering!  He no longer has outbursts in groups.  He is able to carry a conversation and finish a task without forgetting one or the other.  He no longer gets frustrated easily, but stays focused works through problems.  His grades improved from straight Fs to close to honor roll!  The best is teachers and leaders comments on how well behaved he is and how he is a joy to be around.

The Cogmed program has changed my son from a troubled child to a terrific kid.  Even after the program is finished, I still continue to see improvements on how he sees, interacts and handles the world around him.  This program not only helped a little boy, but a whole family.  Thank you, Cogmed and Dr Granetz, for finding a non-medicinal way to help us and give us our happy, healthy son back to us.

For more information about Cogmed Working Memory Training, visit their website, www.cogmed.com, To learn if this program is right for your child, contact our South Charlotte office at 704-541-9080 to schedule an Intake appointment.

Kids are typically referred for a neuropsychological evaluation if they are experiencing difficulty in learning, attention, behavior, socialization, or emotional control, a disease or developmental problem that affects the brain in some way, a brain injury from an accident, birth trauma or some other physical stress.

Testing can determine the effects of developmental, neurological and medical problems, such as epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia or a genetic disorder.

Often, a neuropsychological evaluation is part of a collaboration with many professionals, including but not limited to pediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, educators and other pediatric therapists. 

At Child and Family Development, there are two neuropsychologists on our team.

• Joy Granetz, Ph.D. @ South Charlotte office
• Gretchen H. Hunter, Ph.D. @ Midtown office

Contact our office to schedule an Intake appointment. 

Could it be autism?
This is a question that arises more and more often for parents, teachers and physicians. At Child and Family Development, we not only answer the question but also provide direction.

Carol Capehart, MA, LPA (Midtown office) and Chris Vrabel, Psy.D. (South Charlotte office) are highly trained and experienced to work with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Our comprehensive evaluation begins with a thorough clinical interview with the parents and caregivers. A review of medical history and detailed information about early development, family dynamics, family history, daily life, and current concerns are also gathered. A thorough inventory of standardized tests is also available.

We help families negotiate through the IEP process, communicate with school administration and teachers, attend IEP meetings and offer advocacy support when needed. In addition, they help families find the community resources. Here, we offer individual therapy, family therapy, social skills groups and parent support groups.

Contact us for more information about the Autism Spectrum Disorder services, We currently have openings for ASD evaluations with no waiting lists. We work with families to maximize any available insurance benefits and offer payment plans.
 

Recently, a Cogmed representative shared these research updates with Child and Family Development:

• Cogmed was highlighted in Science in the article "Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old" (Diamond & Lee, 2011) describing computerized training as the most researched approach for improving executive functions in the early school years.
• In addition, results have continued to emerge from a large study of younger and older adults providing evidence for the feasibility and efficacy of improving working memory and attention in both age groups (Brehmer et al., 2009, 2011; Bellander et al., 2011)

You can find summaries of the published and ongoing research at www.cogmed.com/research.

To learn about the research and to determine how your child may benefit from the Cogmed Working Memory Training, contact our South Charlotte office to schedule an initial appointment with Dr. Joy Granetz.  She is a licensed clinical psychologist and Cogmed Qualified Practitioner. 

At Child and Family Development, our psychologists can accommodate most requests for testing, including Early Admissions and IQ testing for Charlotte students. 

School readiness assessments of children ages 4 to 6 years provide valuable information to teachers and parents on school readiness, learning styles, appropriate learning environments, and developmental strengths and weaknesses. We recommend this service for children prior to beginning a formal kindergarten experience. If you are pursuing testing for either early admission to kindergarten or an application to a private school requiring standardized testing, we can provide you with the information you need. We are able to administer the following standardized tests:

• Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) which assesses children’s learning ability and how they process information. It is an aptitude test.

• Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA) which assesses basic reading skills. It is an achievement test. Young Children's Achievement Test (YCAT) which assesses early academic and pre-academic skills in general knowledge, reading, math, written expression, and spoken language.

• Woodcock-Johnson which assesses academic and pre-academic skills in reading, math, and written expression. It is an achievement test. Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT) is an achievement test which also assesses skills in reading, math, and written expression.

The testing is typically completed in one visit to our clinic in a 2 1/2 hour appointment.  During that time, the psychologist will spend some time getting to know the child and making sure he is comfortable with the setting and tasks. The psychologist will administer a cognitive test or intelligence test (IQ) and a brief assessment of academic achievement. Once testing is finished with the child, the psychologist will provide a brief verbal interpretation of results to the parents.

A brief written report will be mailed to the parents within 10 business days of the appointment.  The fee for this service is $450.00 and it is due at the time of service.

Read the Psychology tab on our website, www.childandfamilydevelopment.com, to learn more about the C&FD psychology team and our services.

Along with many rating scales and other standardized tests, the team of child psychologists at Child and Family Development in Charlotte, NC often uses a continuous performance test as one part of our psycho-educational assessments.

The Brain Train website, www.braintrain.com, provides a detailed description of the IVA+Plus and other tests and protocols. 

The IVA+Plus is a unique combined auditory and visual continuous performance test which provides data in order to to help psychologists and other clinicians better assess the ADHD symptoms of individuals ages 6 through adult. Following the diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-IV, IVA+Plus provides data that allows for differentiation between the four sub-types of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type (formerly called ADD), ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, ADHD Combined Type, and ADHD Not Otherwise Specified.

The IVA+Plus is a useful tool. It provides a wealth of objective data, follows the DSM-IV guidelines for a unique integrated format, identifies both auditory and visual inattention and impulsivity, mixes visual and auditory stimuli, creating a "real-life" task, increasing test sensitivity and power and improves diagnostic accuracy. In a validity study, IVA+Plus correctly identified clinician diagnosed ADHD children 92.3% of the time and accurately assessed treatment and medication effects. Research studies demonstrate excellent test-retest reliability and stability.

Cogmed Working Memory Training is a home-based program that helps people with attention problems by training and increasing their working memory capacity.

Clinically proven results demonstrate that after training, people improve their ability to concentrate, control impulsive behavior, and better utilize complex reasoning skills. Better academic and professional performance can be achieved.

Working memory is critical for focusing, appropriately shutting out distractions and for complex thinking. Improved working memory capacity generalizes to improved attention and impulse control. 8 out of 10 users who complete training show measurable results. In children, research and clinical data show improved grades following Cogmed training. Parents and teachers report improved social skills, talking initiative, remembering instructions and completing assignments more independently.

Visit www.cogmed.com, for more information about this state-of-the-art intervention. A free parent webinar is available.

To find out if Cogmed Working Memory Training is right for your child, call us at 704-541-9080 to schedule an initial appointment at our South Charlotte office with child psychologist, Dr. Joy Granetz.

With diverse clinical expertise, interests and experiences, the Child and Family Development team of psychologists is ready to provide a wide range of evaluation and treatment services. 

MIDTOWN OFFICE

Carol Capehart, MA, LPA, is a licensed psychological associate with about 20 years of clinical experience. Carol has extensive training and experience in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and founded our ASD evaluative services in 2006. Prior to that, she spent many years working in public schools with children of all ages and learning abilities.

Gretchen Hunter, Ph.D., CRC, is a licensed psychologist and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor with a specialty in neuropsychology. She has experience providing neuropsychological evaluations to children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders, learning disabilities and attention related disorders. She provides individual, family and group psychotherapy and behavior intervention to children and adolescents.

Kristina Murphy, Psy.D, HSP-P, is a licensed psychologist who provides psychotherapy and evaluations to children, adolescents and young adults. Her specialized focus is adolescents and transitions to High School and College. Areas of clinical expertise include anxiety,

depression, attention disorders, learning disabilities, life transitions and adjustment issues.

SOUTH CHARLOTTE OFFICE

Annada Hypes, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in the treatment of adolescents and young adults. Dr. Hypes specializes in treating mood and impulse-control disorders, including depression, self harm, substance abuse, disordered eating and attention disorders. She regularly offers social skills groups for girls. 

Joy Granetz, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with over thirteen years of experience. She provides neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations with special focus in working with children and adolescents with learning disabilities, attention disorders, head injury, tic disorders and epilepsy. Dr. Granetz is one of a few practitioners in North Carolina offering Cogmed Working Memory Training, an innovative computer based training program to help children with attention difficulties.

Chris Vrabel, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in child evaluation and child and family therapy. He has expertise in the assessment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention disorders, learning disabilities and other developmental, behavioral and emotional problems. Dr. Vrabel also provides therapy to children and families with concerns regarding ADHD, behavior problems, depression, anxiety, social difficulties and other issues.

Read the blog, visit the website, or contact the offices to learn more about our child psychology services.