Child & Family

She will be based at the South Charlotte office on a full-time basis.  

Jessica is a 2010 graduate of SUNY-Buffalo with special interests in autism and sensory integration. 

Welcome Jessica!

Many moms and dads who contact Child & Family Development report that their child is “a little clumsy”.  In many instances, it can be difficult to recognize if this is simply part of development and adjusting to a growing body or an area to be explored more specifically. The explanation may be developmental dyspraxia.

Developmental dyspraxia is a motor learning difficulty that can affect planning of movements and coordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body. 

Do you describe a child in these ways?

·         Bumping into things all the time, or accident-prone

·         Inability or difficulty with skipping, jumping rope or climbing

·         Strong but not very coordinated

·         Falling out of chairs, knocking things over or messy

·         Awkward or difficulty walking or running

·         Difficulty playing, participating, or insecurities with sports or games

Children with dyspraxia have particular problems learning new motor skills and activities and coordinating the upper and lower limbs of the body. To efficiently move through the environment and learn new skills, the body relies on sensory systems- tactile (touch), vestibular (movement) and proprioceptive (how muscles perceive actions). If these systems are not properly integrated, a child appears clumsy.

Some characteristics of developmental dyspraxia are:

·         Awkward gait movement

·         Decreased sense of body awareness

·         Emotional lability, sensitivity or appears distracted

·         Difficulty judging distances

·         Difficulty imitating body positions 

·         Poor balance

·         Poor sequencing of activities

·         Poor short and/or long term memory

·         Slow movement planning and reaction times in both fine motor gross motor 

Even if only a few of these characteristics are noted in a child, an evaluation could be the first step to address the issue. While there is no cure for dyspraxia, a trained pediatric occupational therapist or physical therapist can assist the child in learning ways to improve their motor planning abilities and becoming more successful with gross motor learning and performance.

Current data notes that 6% of all children ages 5-11 have a developmental coordination disorder. It is important to note that motor difficulties are likely to coexist with several other diagnoses, including:

·         Auditory Processing Disorder

·         Executive Function Disorder

·         Hypotonia

·         Low Birth Weight

·         Sensory Processing Disorder

There are treatment options for developmental dyspraxia.  There are several types of praxis (movement) that may be addressed in therapy. These types include: oral, sequential, postural, constructional, and praxis on verbal command. 

Research shows that a combination of strength and coordination goals, as well as work on specific functional skills (climbing stairs, skipping) is most effective. A therapist can, through play and exploration of new motor activities, address the affected area(s) of praxis and improve overall motor planning and abilities. 

Advanced training and techniques are used in treatment of developmental dyspraxia:

·         E-Stimulation (E-Stim) 

·         Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT)™

·         Sensory Integration

·         Total Motion Release (TMR)®

Annada Hypes. Ph.D., child psychologist, joins the Child and Family Development team on November 8, 2010. 

Dr. Hypes brings over three years of clinical experience working with children, adolescents, young adults and their families. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. During her training, she worked in an Intensive Outpatient Program with adolescents, a neuropsychological rotation in a primary health care setting and a college counseling center. She also  co-founded and implemented an after-school empowerment program for middle school students called Beautiful Girls, which is still in operation.

Dr. Hypes specializes in treating mood and impulse-control disorders, including depression, self-harm, anxiety, aggression management and substance abuse. She tends to utilize a strengths-based and solution-focused framework, incorporating mindfulness, emotion regulation and expressive arts techniques into therapy when appropriate. 

She is based at our South Charlotte office.

Welcome Annada!

A recent article in Advance magazine titled “Kids with Disabilities Bullied” highlighted this problem in our society. We have seen the growing media coverage of bullying and its devastating impact on youth. 

International studies show that along with hardships that are part of living with health issues, young people with disabilities or chronic illnesses are more likely to be victims of bullying from their peers at school.  The study showed that students who reported having a disability or chronic illness - no matter where they lived - were more likely to be bullied by peers than those who did not. In fact, the data revealed that the likelihood was 10% greater for bullying to occur and that both boys and girls were equally at risk. 

We all need to stand up to bullies and help protect people who may be victimized.  

Read the article for additional information: http://occupational-therapy.advanceweb.com/News/Daily-News-Watch/Kids-with-Disabilities-Bullied.aspx

Most often it is the more severely involved or neurologically injured child who is referred to physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy at an early age. 

However, an increasing number of infants and toddlers have mild to moderate developmental issues that will greatly benefit from the therapeutic expertise of skilled pediatric therapy. Some infants may have a known diagnosis of Down syndrome, Failure to Thrive, Prematurity and others may be affected by back sleeping or multiple ear infections or other causal factors. Some toddlers may simply be experiencing a developmental delay in walking, talking or overall decreased socialization.

When we are able to begin treatment with these children before the age of 3, progress often occurs more rapidly. Families find their stress and concern lessened because of the support they receive from our team of clinicians. There are agencies in the area that offer therapy in a home based, or natural environment. Here, we offer clinic-based therapy. We find that many children benefit from working directly with a therapist in a therapeutic setting which is designed to support new learning techniques. Our clinics are equipped with the tools, toys and equipment that are needed to evaluate and treat children. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in the therapeutic process and are provided guidance to promote continuous progress in the home environment.

We promote and provide early intervention for infants and young children in Charlotte.

What a joy it is to lead a team of 36 pediatric therapists (and growing!) with more than 400 years of combined clinical experience and a wide range of expertise and skills.

Every day brings inspiration and awe, and this month is even more special since it marks 30 years of service in Charlotte. 

Thank You C&FD Team!

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech-Language Therapy
• Child Psychology
• Education
• and more

I am pleased to announce that Joy Granetz, Ph.D. is joining the Child and Family Development team on August 30.

Dr. Granetz received her Ph.D. in Psychology from George Mason University and is a North Carolina licensed psychologist. She has over twelve years of extensive experience in neuropsychological testing with a special focus in working with children and adolescents with learning disorders, attention related problems, and head injury. Dr. Granetz also provides therapy for children and adolescents with emotional and/or behavioral difficulties.

During her training, Dr. Granetz worked at the National Institutes of Health in the Cognitive Neuroscience Section administering neuropsychological tests. During a two year internship, she worked at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she performed neuropsychological assessments. In addition, she has published research on the neuropsychological effects of brain injury and learning disorders.

Prior to joining the Child and Family Development team, Dr. Granetz worked in a pediatric group practice in Northern Virginia for ten years. Dr. Granetz will be based at our South Charlotte clinic. 

In addition to our assessment and treatment services, we plan to expand our scope to include neuropsychological testing.

The speech therapy team at Child and Family Development welcomes Carolyn Curry, M.A., CCC-SLP on August 30. 

Ms. Curry graduated from Fairfield University and completed her Master's in Communication Arts at Hofstra University in 1998.  She has over twelve years of clinical experience in both the school and private practice settings.  In addition, she was a teacher of children with autism spectrum disorder and an applied behavior analysis (ABA) consultant.  

She will based at our Midtown clinic as a full-time pediatric speech therapist. 

Welcome Carolyn, we are glad you are here!

Child and Family Development is blooming this summer!

An occupational therapist, Beth White, OTR/L, joined the team on June 8.  She has 8 years of experience working in pediatrics, primarily in the outpatient hospital setting, but also inpatient hospital, with additional training in early intervention and school settings. Her primary focus of experience is in the areas of Sensory Integration, behavioral management, autism, social skills, aquatics, Attention Deficit Disorder, developmental delay, dyspraxia, handwriting difficulties, visual motor and perceptual concerns, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, brain injury, and executive functioning. She has had extensive training in Sensory Integration and she is currently completing the certification to administer the SIPT (Sensory Integration and Praxis Test), as well as further extensive continuing education in the above listed focus areas. Beth believes strongly in family involvement to assist the child in being the best they can be! She is based at our South Charlotte office.

A speech-language pathologist, Sadia Syed, M.S., CCC-SLP, joined the team on July 5.  She has worked in private school, clinic and natural environment settings. Her clinical experience includes working with children with Developmental Apraxia of Speech (DAS), articulation, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), autism, behavioral feeding, language, literacy, processing disorder (CAPD), oral motor, phonology, and voice.  In addition, Sadia has training in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).  She believes in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to therapy.  Sadia likes to create a fun and naturalistic environment for the children to interact and learn.  She also incorporates the family to help facilitate and achieve the communication goals.

An occupational therapist, Danielle Perugini, MOT, OTR/L, joined the team on July 12.  She has worked in outpatient pediatric rehabilitation, early intervention, home care, public/private school, and residential school settings. Danielle has had the opportunity to work with children and adolescents with varying needs including strength deficits, fine motor/visual-motor delays, dyspraxia, visual impairments, sensory processing disorder, developmental delays, orthopedic impairments, handwriting legibility issues, and learning disabilities. She has also served as the primary treating and consulting therapist in two different programs for children with autism. Danielle believes strongly in the occupational therapy principle that meaningful, motivating activities provide the best opportunities for learning and skill development and greatly enjoys the challenge of making therapy fun and engaging in order to maximize therapeutic gains. 

August brings more people to our pediatric therapy team.  Look for my upcoming blog about another occupational therapist and a child psychologist.

Welcome Ladies!

Child and Family Development is pleased to be one of the sponsors for this week's The Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte 2010 Symposium. 

On June 25, Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP will be training parents, caregivers and pediatric therapy providers in the Talk Tools Approach to Oral-Motor Feeding and Speech Therapy.  The seminar is an overview of a sensory motor approach to feeding.  It is a three-part program that outlines medical, behavioral and sensory issues which impact feeding, skills that are needed for feeding and intelligible speech and sensory diet plans. 

Ms. Overland will evaluate several local children at our Midtown clinic this week and present those case studies at Friday's course. 

To learn more about the event or this great organization, go to www.dsanc.org

Child and Family Development is growing!

As we relocate our South Charlotte clinic in June into a larger space, we are looking for a North Carolina licensed physical therapist to join the team.

Visit the Careers tab on our website, www.childandfamilydevelopment.com, to learn more about this opportunity. 

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month!

Our website, www.childandfamilydevelopment.com, contains a developmental chart that list typical age ranges for babbling, talking, sound production and other speech-language skill acquisition.

Use it as a reference tool or contact a speech therapist with specific questions.