Charlotte Child Psychologist

The idea of having your child evaluated for an Autism Spectrum Disorder can be anxiety-provoking, upsetting and heart-breaking to many parents, but it can also help you understand your child for determining appropriate strategies to help him or her develop prosocial social skills and reduce behavioral difficulties.

Symptoms of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder & Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified) fall into 3 categories:

• Communication
  • Poor vocabulary
  • Difficulty with back and forth conversation
  • Repetitive use of words or language
  • Odd tone of voice or pace of speech
• Social Interaction (Particularly, back-and-forth social interactions)
  • Difficulty developing friendships
  • Difficulty with eye contact or facial expressions
  • Difficulty understanding how others are feeling
  • Difficulty starting or maintaining social interactions
• Restricted, Repetitive, or Stereotyped Behaviors, Interests or Activities
  • Repetitive behaviors (hand flapping, lining up toys)
  • Unusual Interests in odd topics
  • Overly “Intense” Interests

The evaluation of these three areas may differ somewhat based on your child’s age and developmental level. However, if you are wondering whether to request an evaluation, one of the key factors is whether these symptoms create substantial difficulties for your child either at home, at school or in the community.

If your child is having difficulty, an evaluation may be able to identify what the problem is and recommend helpful strategies.

My name is Chris Vrabel and I am excited to be joining Child and Family Development, a pediatric therapy clinic in Charlotte!

I recently moved to Charlotte from Los Angeles where I worked for three years at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Before that, I obtained my doctoral degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and my undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University here in North Carolina.

I am currently a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of North Carolina and I specialize in psychological assessment and therapy with children, adolescents, and families. In my work with children and families, I have experience in a lot of areas, but I am particularly passionate about:

• Autism Spectrum Disorders (Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD)
• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD)
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Social Difficulties 

I’m looking forward to contributing to our blog and getting to know the city of Charlotte! Please see our website at www.childandfamilydevelopment.com for more information about myself and the other professionals we have at Child and Family Development!

Social Stories, a therapeutic technique developed by Carol Gray, can be used to help children prepare for new situations, develop new skills or understand other people’s perspectives. Social stories are most effective when they are individualized to your child and written at their level.

Social stories can be helpful for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety, Social Skills difficulties and other behaviors. For example, Halloween is coming up. This can be an exciting time of year, but it can also be difficult for some children. As an example, let’s use a young child who occasionally tantrums if he receives a type of candy he doesn’t like. A sample social story might be:

“Halloween is coming! On Halloween, I get to dress up in my costume and go Trick or Treating. I am so excited to dress up as Spiderman! If it is cold on Halloween, I might have to wear a coat so I can stay warm. That’s okay, I will still look great. I will walk to a few houses with my Dad. When I get to a house, I get to ring the doorbell. When the door opens, we will both say ‘Trick or Treat!’ Then, the person will give me a piece of candy. Sometimes, I will get a piece of candy that I am really excited about, like a Snickers! Other times, I will get something I am not very excited about, like a Mounds bar. That’s okay. I will put it in my bag. Then we will say “thank-you,” wave goodbye and walk to the next house.”

Social stories don’t always change behavior, but they are useful for helping children understand what to expect and exposing them to new responses. You can learn more about social stories at www.thegraycenter.org. Carol Gray’s book: “The New Social Story Book: 10^th Anniversary Edition” can also be found on www.amazon.com.

Happy Trick or Treating!