All my life I've heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child". Now that I'm expecting a child of my own, I'm really finding that to be true as I tour day care centers, interview pediatricians, consider which products are safest, and seek advice from other new mothers as well as the "grandparents." I am certainly not going to be the only influence in my child's life. If you have a child with a developmental disability, the saying rings even truer, as special educators, respite care providers, medical specialists, and a variety of therapists are thrown into the mix. If you find your head spinning as you try to educate yourself on what's best while accommodating all of your child's needs, consider visiting us. Any speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, psychologist, or educational specialist will be happy to speak with you and help you make a plan for your child. We have suggestions for community programs and provide a number of services under one roof. One recent case really reminds me of why I love being a speech therapist at a multi-disciplinary pediatric practice in Charlotte. Here's my story (all names have been changed)....
Justin Rogers is a 9-year-old boy with a complex diagnosis who has been receiving speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy weekly at Child and Family Development for several years. English is his second or third language. Over the past several months, we rehabilitation therapists became concerned as we observed him developing negative behaviors which impeded his therapy progress and posed a safety concern to Justin and those around him. We approached our clinical supervisor about the best way to handle his behavior, and I even called his school to see how they handled his behavior. The school expressed the same concerns, however they offered no solutions. Along with one of my Spanish-speaking co-workers, my clinical supervisor met with Justin's mother, Mrs. Rogers who speaks Spanish, to express our concern and offer additional support for managing his behavior. Mrs. Rogers was offered the opportunity to meet with one of our pyschologists and the translator to determine triggers for Justin's difficult behavior and make a plan for therapy and home. Mrs. Rogers was so greatful that she was approached and offered help for Justin, which included referral to a pyschologist outside of our practice who speaks her first language. During her meeting it came to light that one of the other Rogers' children has some behavioral difficulties that may be negatively impacting Justin. What's the outcome? Mrs. Rogers has an appointment with a Spanish-speaking pyschologist, Justin is performing better already with a behavioral plan in place, Justin's brother is scheduled for several sessions with one of our psychologists to receive counseling for his negative behavior, and the speech therapist (me!), occupational therapist, and physical therapist are able to do our jobs to the best of our abilities thanks to all of the support we receive. Are you confused about all the number of people involved? That's because at Child and Family Development we utilize all of our resources within our practice as well as outside contacts to ensure your child achieves his or her potential just like Justin. "It takes a village...!"
Justin Rogers is a 9-year-old boy with a complex diagnosis who has been receiving speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy weekly at Child and Family Development for several years. English is his second or third language. Over the past several months, we rehabilitation therapists became concerned as we observed him developing negative behaviors which impeded his therapy progress and posed a safety concern to Justin and those around him. We approached our clinical supervisor about the best way to handle his behavior, and I even called his school to see how they handled his behavior. The school expressed the same concerns, however they offered no solutions. Along with one of my Spanish-speaking co-workers, my clinical supervisor met with Justin's mother, Mrs. Rogers who speaks Spanish, to express our concern and offer additional support for managing his behavior. Mrs. Rogers was offered the opportunity to meet with one of our pyschologists and the translator to determine triggers for Justin's difficult behavior and make a plan for therapy and home. Mrs. Rogers was so greatful that she was approached and offered help for Justin, which included referral to a pyschologist outside of our practice who speaks her first language. During her meeting it came to light that one of the other Rogers' children has some behavioral difficulties that may be negatively impacting Justin. What's the outcome? Mrs. Rogers has an appointment with a Spanish-speaking pyschologist, Justin is performing better already with a behavioral plan in place, Justin's brother is scheduled for several sessions with one of our psychologists to receive counseling for his negative behavior, and the speech therapist (me!), occupational therapist, and physical therapist are able to do our jobs to the best of our abilities thanks to all of the support we receive. Are you confused about all the number of people involved? That's because at Child and Family Development we utilize all of our resources within our practice as well as outside contacts to ensure your child achieves his or her potential just like Justin. "It takes a village...!"
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