Child and Family Development

When looking at behavior, there are close similarities displayed with both children who have attention difficulties (ADD/ ADHD) and sensory processing disorder (SPD).  Co-morbid diagnoses may include Autism, Developmental Delays, and Learning Disabilities.  Common characteristics for children with both sensory seeking SPD and ADHD (hyperactive/impulsive type) are as follows: impulsivity, excessive activity, disorganization, impatience and poor self-control. 

However, more specifically, children who have SPD tend to be more in control of stopping impulsive behaviors.  They may crave activity relating to a specific sensory system, may become more organized after receiving proper sensory input and may be more patient while waiting if give proper sensory input.  They commonly poke/pull/touch others without proper sensory input.

Those who have ADHD (hyperactive/impulsive type), tend to continue impulsive behaviors, be disorganized and have difficulty waiting-even with sensory input.  They tend to crave activity not related to a specific sensory system.  They often talk a lot, impulsively interrupt, and have difficulty waiting a turn during a conversation.

The IPAD and other technology is making a huge impression on our children. Angry birds seems to be of particular interest with the kids at the South Charlotte office!

I recently purchased an IPAD and I am exploring the use of apps in treatment sessions. I am very interested in how to make handwriting fun. One of my current staples for letter formation is "Letter School". It's produced by Boreaal and their website is http://letterschool.com. I copied this image from their website to share with you.

Letter school offers uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. It includes Handwriting Without Tears® (HWT), D'Nealian and Zaner-Bloser style handwriting. I love that it offers HWT style letters which is what we often in occupational therapy interventions. It also provides consistent formation which is very important for kids who have a hard time with handwriting. The app requires proper sequencing of formation and progresses in independence with each letter.

On the first attempt, children are simply required to locate the starting points and the app shows them where the lines should be formed. The second attempt requires the child to complete the tracing, and reinforces the formation with visuals of trains, lights, or lawn mowers to name a few. On the third attempt, the child is required to form the letter without any visual cues. Once the child has mastered all of the letters, there is a second level with new visuals to provide practice.

I love this app because it is fun and accomplishes education on basic letter formation, while allowing the child to show off what they have learned!

At Child and Family Development, we offer School Readiness Assessments for children ages 4 to 6 years. Assessments 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.

School readiness testing examines pre-academic/readiness skills in reading math, written language. Development tests of fine motor coordination, auditory memory, receptive language and expressive language help determine developmental readiness. An educational specialist can provide parents with useful information to aid in their school readiness decisions

The testing is typically completed in two visits to our clinic. During the first appointment, the educator will administer standardized tests as well as complete an informal assessment of ABC knowledge, rhyming, sound blending, and counting. The second appointment is a feedback session for the parent(s). A brief written report will be mailed to the parents following the assessment.

If you are interested in learning more, contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our Educational Specialists, Mary Froneberger and Martha Knight.

Looking for pediatric therapy services near Fort Mill, South Carolina?

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is just 13 miles from there 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. 

My son has greatly benefited from the PT Karate group! His upper body, lower body and core strength are all improving, and his attention span as well as ability to stay on task has increased. I am so glad this class is offered and hope others will be positively impacted by it too. -Mother of a 12-year-old with autism  

I am hypersensitive to tactile input. As a tactilely hypersensitive child this meant that often playing dress-up was not as fun for me as for other kids because I would be easily distracted and deterred by the scratchiness of the cheap costumes that are typically used for dress-up clothes. I never liked to wear hats because they would press my hair down. I spent a lot of my time in older baggy clothing even though my girlfriends were wearing more feminine outfits. I hated to wear stockings, ruffles, tulle, zippers, new denim, or to walk on rough carpet. 

As a tactilely hypersensitive child I was always very aware of how close other people were to me. I would be worried about them touching my unexpectedly and it would distract me to the point of losing track of what to do in an activity if someone bumped into me or was too close to me. I was also distracted by my own clothing and shoes. 

Typically light touch is something that most people don’t like. A firm touch is more soothing and welcome. If a child is hypersensitive to touch you can imagine their difficulty interacting in a busy classroom or on the playground where it’s difficult to predict what they could bump into. 

A tactilely hyposensitive child may be seen seeking tactile input. They may be fidgety or constantly touching all variety of items in their environment. They may be less aware of different tactile inputs such as if their hair isn’t brushed straight, if their clothes are twisted, or if a sock is missing or inside out. These children may play more roughly or be less aware of injuries such as scrapes or bumps. 

What is it?

The Physical Therapy-Based Karate group is a long-time favorite at Child and Family Development.  It is led by Amy Sturkey, Physical Therapist, and Riaan Van Schalkwyck, Black Belt Instructor. 

We have seen such success with teenagers with high functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome that we want to expand and offer it to young adults and adults with high functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. 

The goal is to help participants improve balance, strength, and coordination and control. There is also a focus on self defense moves.

How does it work?

Each participant is paired with a ‘shadow’ to offer verbal encouragement and instruction and simple physical redirection cues.   It is important that each participant be able to follow directions and not have aggressive tendencies towards self or others.

Groups are formed according to skill level with age and size taken into consideration, to ensure the best opportunity for success and homogeneity. Groups are limited to 4 participants. 

What can I expect?

The Karate group meets weekly at our Midtown Clinic for a minimum of 8 weeks. The group may continue passed 8 weeks if there is sufficient interest.                         

Session times will be offered on Wednesdays at 1pm and/or 12pm. 

The private cost of the groups is $50 per session. All payments are due at the time of service.  

Want to learn more?  

∙  Call Amy: 704-332-4834 ext. 114

∙  Email Amy: asturkey@childandfamilydevelopment.com

∙ Visit the C&FD website: www.childandfamilydevelopment.com

How To Get The Most Out Of Pediatric Therapy

APPOINTMENTS & SCHEDULING

A frequency for treatment will be determined by you & your therapist considering several factors:

·         the needs of your child

·         the number of therapies required

·         available insurance benefits & financial resources

o        Every effort will be made to maximize your insurance benefits

·         Determine an appointment time that really works with your schedule

o        family resources of time

o        attend all appointments and reschedule missed appointments

·         Consistency in therapy equals progress

HOME PROGRAMS & FOLLOW-THROUGH

Your child’s therapist will be using a variety of treatment techniques to ensure the most progress in the shortest period of time. But, the most important tool in the treatment arsenal is a child’s day to day caregivers. Make the most of therapy by:

·         Fully understanding the difficulties your child is facing by asking questions until you understand

·         Talk with the therapist at each session and observe sessions when appropriate and beneficial

·         Work with your child at home on the current goals for a few minutes each day

·         Make necessary doctor appointments promptly

·         Obtain needed prescriptions quickly to support therapy

·         Be willing to try different treatment techniques for the best benefit

INSURANCE & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Getting started or when there is a change:

·         Understand the benefits and benefit changes

·         Understand what other options your employer may be offering

·         Understand how the plan will pay in relation to your anticipated health care needs

·         Compare each parent’s plan benefits

·         Understand the impact (pros and cons) of switching from one parent’s plan to the other

·         Anticipate your out-of-pocket costs for the year

·         Determine what tax preferred ways there are to fund out-of-pocket costs

Communication with C&FD staff:

·         Notify us anytime there is a change in insurance benefit, plan, carrier or provider network

·         Notify us anytime there is a change in guarantor or policy holder

·         Discuss benefits with the child’s therapist

·         Coordinate benefits for multiple services and plan ahead for visit maximums

·         Review our Financial & Insurance Guide

For Children:

Ο        Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention by K. Nadeau, Ph.D. & E. Dixon, Ph.D. (2004).

Ο        Putting on the Breaks by P. Quinn, M.D. & J. Stern, M.A. (2008).

Ο        Cory Stories by J. Kraus & W. Martin (2004).

For Teens:

Ο        The ADHD Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Gain Motivation and Confidence by L. Honos-Webb, Ph.D. (2011).

Ο        The Girls' Guide To AD/HD: Don't Lose This Book! by B. Walker (2009).

For Young Adults:

Ο        Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD, by K. Nadeau, Ph.D. (2006).

Ο        ADD and the College Student: A Guide for High School and College Students with Attention Deficit Disorder by P. Quinn, MD. (2001).

Here's what a Child and Family Development parent wrote about our pediatric therapy services recently:

My child worked with Leslie Holmes for Physical Therapy for a year and with Lindsey Pritchard for Occupational Therapy briefly. They were excellent! The front office was always wonderful. I will highly recommend Child and Family Development to anyone anytime.

Thanks for the feedback!

As a child with auditory hypersensitivity, I disliked going to the lunch room at school. I would cringe in my seat in the auditorium during assemblies and anxiously wait for when everyone hushed for a performance or assembly. It was very difficult for me to follow a conversation if there was too much background noise, such as socializing in the hallways or during small group activities.

If people were making noise during a test it was difficult to concentrate on my own test. I frequently missed verbal instructions in class and always hoped for written ones. If there’s background noise while someone is giving instructions I have often had to have them repeated several times over. 

January 2012 is an important month for

these members of the pediatric therapy team

at Child and Family Development:

·         Gail Fennimore, Physical Therapist – 18++++ years

Gail has been part of C&FD since the very beginning in the early 80’s. She tells me that she still loves what she does after all of these years. It is important to her to pay attention to the small details- the things that help a child do well and have fun outside of the physical therapy session. This spring, she is pursuing an APTA Certification for Pediatric Specialist. She will also become a grandmother in 2012.

·         Barb Hartshorn, Speech Therapist- 5 years

Barb has been practicing for more than 20 years. She strives to make the most of speech therapy time with parents and a child. Barb says she ‘treats individually’ and we all see that philosophy in action daily. Over the past few years, she has developed a new clinical skill helping kids with feeding difficulties. Her SOS training and case experience is a highlight of her work. Right now, Barb and her family are hosting an exchange student from Italy. 

·         Martha Knight, Educational Specialist- 4 years

Martha describes herself as a detective. It’s her job to discover the strength in every student, despite the academic challenges they may face. Martha loves to see how educational therapy- more than tutoring- can help a family approach learning, school and homework in a positive and constructive way. She is very involved in the local Ronald McDonald House.

·         Jessica Hoffarth, Occupational Therapist- 1 year

Jessica believes that occupational therapy should always be child-focused. She loves a clinical challenge and helping families deal with tough behaviors. Her C&FD blog about her own sensory processing difficulties as a child and an adult is a inspiration and insight for our team and others. She and her husband are expecting their first child in April.

Each of you are an important part of our mission- to provide comprehensive, quality and integrated services to children and families in Charlotte.