Pediatric 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

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.

Looking for pediatric therapy services near Lancaster, South Carolina?

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is less than 5 miles from the border 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. 

• Developing Daily Modulation Plans & Activities Using the Autism/Sensory Survival Kit for Children & Adolescents
  
• Therapeutic Listening

Looking for pediatric therapy services near Rock Hill, South Carolina?

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is less than 5 miles from the border 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. 

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. 

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

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!

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.

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.

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 a skilled pediatric therapist. 

Some infants may have a known diagnosis or medical condition.  However, some toddlers may simply be experiencing delays in walking, talking or overall socialization. We believe that once a child is identified, time becomes the most critical component.

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 services in a home or natural environment, but Child and Family Development offers clinic-based therapy.

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 sessions and are trained to promote continuous progress in the other settings.  We find that many children benefit from working directly with a therapist in a therapeutic setting which is designed to support new learning techniques.  

 We have about 30 physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists on our staff with two locations to serve the Charlotte region.  Every staff member has specialized and advanced training in pediatric therapy with over 400 years of combined pediatric therapy experience across the practice.  Many staff members also have advanced training in treating infants to address issues of respiration, feeding and movement. 

Our practice accepts NC Medicaid, SC Medicaid, BCBS, Aetna, United Healthcare, Medcost and many other insurance plans. 

Infants and toddlers are given a priority at our practice and we are able to schedule evaluations, and treatment within just a few weeks. 

Contact us to learn more about our early intervention services for infants and young children.