Education Therapy Charlotte

Who are the Educational Specialists at Child and Family Development?

Established in 1980, Child and Family Development has been serving the needs of children and their families in Charlotte. Our pediatric therapy team has over 400 years of combined clinical experience, with expertise and additional certifications in many diagnostic areas.

Our Educational Specialists are trained to evaluate and treat the underlying causes of learning difficulties. Learning concerns may involve specific disorders of reading, writing, and mathematics or problems with attention, organization and study skills.

All of the Educational Specialists at C&FD have advanced graduate degrees in the field of Special Education. They help students understand their learning style, strengthen underlying processing weaknesses and develop strategies for school success.

Educational Specialists offer the following services to maximize growth and development:

• Developmental Screenings and School Readiness Assessments for children 3-5 years of age to help parents plan for the most appropriate learning environment for their child.
• Comprehensive Educational Evaluations to identify a child’s learning strengths and weaknesses
• School Consultations to present a child’s learning strengths and weaknesses to the school to provide the ground work for developing a team approach to meeting the child’s school needs and establishing informed parent advocacy.
• Treatment of Learning Disorders in Reading, Mathematics, Written Expression, Literacy Readiness, Handwriting, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Phonological Processing Delays through an Individual Educational Treatment Plan
• Support for children and adolescents with learning concerns including Study Skills, Homework Strategies, Time Management, Test Taking Strategies through individual treatment as well as intensive small group session available if needed

As a child with proprioceptive hyposensitivity in the classroom, when I had to sit all day without any proprioceptive input that I needed, I began to feel uncomfortable and stressed. This was distracting and gave me a lot of anxiety in school and social situations.  

You might think I could have gotten this need satisfied in gym class or on the playground, but think about the other sensitivities I’ve described to you. I’m visually and tactilely over-stimulated and these are very strong motivators for me to avoid physical activities. Different people will have different levels of sensitivity. For me, the visual and tactile hypersensitivities are stronger than the proprioceptive needs that I have. This meant that I would not easily get the proprioceptive input that I needed. This resulted in me feeling clumsier and more awkward than my peers. 

Ultimately I was left feeling uncomfortable in my own skin most of the time. I had to think a lot about how to move my body appropriately to participate in activities. I had to learn to accept and cope with overwhelming sensory inputs because I didn’t know how to make them feel more manageable.

February 2012 is an important month for

this member of the pediatric therapy team

at Child and Family Development:

·         Melinda Bumgardner, Speech-Language Pathologist – 1 year

Melinda joined the team in 2011, but it seems like she’s been part of the team for much longer. While she’s practiced in the Charlotte community for about 13 years, C&FD gives her the ability to collaborate directly with other professionals and be holistic in her approach. She was accustomed to treating along with Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, this has been her first opportunity to work closely with Psychology and Education practitioners. She enjoys using our blog to share information and suggestions with the public. She completed Hanen training a few months ago and is hoping to offer parents groups this year. Melinda stays busy outside of the office too and is teaching a Junior Roller Derby class starting this month. 

You are an important part of our mission- to provide comprehensive, quality and integrated services to children and families.

I recently attended an online webinar on Therapeutic Listening: Listening with the Whole Body. Therapeutic Listening is a sensory integration intervention for children with sensory processing disorders, attention challenges, and motor planning issues. It is specifically designed to address auditory sensitivities; however, because of the anatomy of the inner ear, sound is able to affect both hearing and the vestibular systems simultaneously. This affects hearing, sound localization, and the awareness of where our bodies are in space. Awareness of timing and where our bodies are in space are essential for motor planning and praxis skills. The signals are transported from the ear and processed through the nervous system, creating integration with additional systems that influence coordination of movement, attention, sleep/wake cycles, bowel/bladder control, emotional regulation, and feeding. It was an excellent course that explained the anatomy and use of this exciting tool. I am looking forward to incorporating it into my personal practice and educating parents on the possible benefits of this program.

For more information on Therpeutic Listening, visit Vital Links at http://vitallinks.net/pages/What-is-Therapeutic-Listening-Movie.php

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.

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).

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.

•Happy New Year•

In 2012, Child and Family Development

will continue to participate in these Insurance plans:

Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy

Aetna

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
Cigna

Med Cost

NC Medicaid
Primary Physician Care

SC Medicaid (OT, PT)

United Healthcare

Behavioral Health (Psychology) Services

Aetna

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
Primary Physician Care

Educational Services

(not filed to insurance)

We will file to other plans on an out-of-network basis.

The front office team is available
to assist in determining network coverage.

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.

A hyposensitive child may be seen to seek out auditory input such as seeking noises for the sake of hearing the noise. These kiddos are less likely to respond immediately when you call their name or if there is a sound in the room whereas other kids may answer to their name or look toward that sound to find out what it is. These children may have more difficulty being aware that they need to adjust the volume of their voice. They may feel like they function better in busier environments.

Children with auditory hyposensitivity may also have difficulty in a classroom setting, for example, if there is suddenly too much noise going on around them. As a result of not having a typical sensitive to auditory input, these children may be less familiar with processing a variety of auditory inputs. This means that they may be less familiar with different sounds, and with this inexperience they also are less skilled at tuning out unwelcome sounds. This can impact their ability to focus in a school setting. When they are suddenly hearing a lot of noise around them they may have difficulty regulating the noises and can be overwhelmed. 

The holidays are a time for family gatherings, traveling, no school, and no routine.  For some that sounds fun, but for children with sensory processing difficulties, Autism, and other developmental delays, it can be a very scary time.

Children who have auditory and tactile sensitivities will likely struggle most during family gatherings.

Children who are sensitive to movement or need a lot of movement will have the most difficulty being couped up in a car or airplane while traveling.

Children who already feel like they have no control over their own body rely on routine to give them a sense of control and organization.  When their environment is unpreditable, these children will likely either shut down or act out.

Remember your child's needs when you are making plans this holiday season.  If you go to a family gathering, make sure that your child has a quiet space to go when they need a break from all of the commotion.  If you are traveling, make sure you are able to take frequent movement breaks to allow your child to more succesfully ride in the car.  Most importantly, remember to keep sleep, meal, and daily routines as close to typical as you are able.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday!

Established in 1980, Child and Family Development is a multi-disciplinary pediatric therapy practice with a mission to provide comprehensive, integrated and quality services.  Our team of more than 35 therapists spans Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Education and Psychology. 

Currently, there is a full-time position for an experienced Speech-Language Pathologist available at our Midtown office.

Visit the Careers tab on our website, www.childandfamilydevelopment.com, for more information.