Pediatric Therapy Charlotte

The Child & Family Development team in Charlotte, NC, is growing! We have two Full-Time clinical opportunities:

Occupational Therapist

Physical Therapist

Click here to visit the Careers tab on our website for more information.

Child and Family Development provides pediatric therapy services at several Charlotte schools throughout the year including: 

• Charlotte Secondary School
• John Crosland School
• Metrolina Regional Scholar's Academy
• The Fletcher School
• Union Academy Charter School

Thanks for working with us during the 2012-2013 school year. Have a great summer and we'll see you in the fall!

Trusted Parents- Special Parents for Special Children has a mission to empower parents and caregivers through support, services, awareness and advocacy that will enhance the lifestyle of chilren with special needs.

Their next meeting is on Thursday, May 30 from 5:30-6:45 P.M. at Imaginon in Charlotte, NC. 

Support, free childcare and validated free parking for the 90-minute meeting and 3 door prizes are available!

Contact them for more information at:  980-229-7253 --- trustedparents@gmail.com  --- find them on Facebook

The pediatric therapy team at Child and Family Development encourages families to participate in community adovocacy. 

Is your baby 10 months, 11 months, or 12 months old and not able to get themselves into a sitting position?

According to the Denver II, 25% of babies can get into sitting by 7.5 months, 75% by 9 months, and 90% by 9.5 months. At first, your baby will need your help and support to get into a sitting position, usually when they are between 6 and 7 months old.

There are 3 different positions a child this age will typically get into sitting:

·       Hands/Knees

·       Back Lying

·       Stomach lying

The following lists how to help your child get into sitting from each position:

Hands/Knees:

·        Position your baby on their hands and knees and physically assist them at their hips to drop their hips down and to one side into a sitting position. Practice both sides.

Back Lying:

·        Position your baby on their back with their head away from you and their feet toward you.  Help them pull up by holding their left hand with your right hand and roll to their right side on their right elbow. See how little help you have to give them in pulling up allowing them to push up themselves on their right arm.  To do the other side, just do the opposite.

Stomach Lying:

This is the toughest technique to describe, but try this:

·        Sit on the floor with your legs straight and apart. Place your baby across your right thigh, lying on their stomach with their head to the right and their legs toward the middle. Their armpits should be level with the outside of your thigh. With your right hand grab their left hip and with your left hand grab their right hip. From this position, rotate their left hip up and towards you and their right hip down and away from you to get their legs in a sitting position. Then, roll your baby down into sitting facing away from you. A toy placed in front of them in their final sitting position helps to motivate them. As your baby improves and gets better at getting into sitting from this position, try performing this move at your calf and then eventually on the floor. To do the other side, just do the opposite.

Another general suggestion:

·        I love to use toys that have parts that go together such as a stacking ring, stacking cups, the ball and hammer game or blocks and a bucket. Put the small object progressively further to each side of your child as they sit, so your baby has to lean out and get the toy and return to upright sitting to put the toy on or in a container. This is great practice doing the final steps of getting in to sitting position.

Warning signs:

·        Your baby does not hold up their head when picked up after 2 months.

·        Your baby still feels stiff or floppy after 2 months.

·        Your baby cannot support their head by 3 or 4 months.

·        Your baby cannot sit with help by 6 months.

·        Your baby has poor head control when pulled into a sitting position at 7 months.

·        Your baby is not reaching for objects at 7 months.

If you notice any of these warning signs in your baby, you should contact your pediatrician.  I also generally worry about children who are great when placed in any position, but cannot transition and move in the position, for example, if your baby can not roll or reach and play when stomach lying at 6 months. If your baby is 9 or 10 months and is simply stuck in sitting when you place them there, you might want a consultation with pediatrician or a pediatric physical therapist.

Need help?

If you want help with these suggestions or notice any of the above mentioned warning signs, a Physical Therapy evaluation can determine if your child is simply showing normal variability in gross motor development or if your child can benefit from intervention. Call me today at (704) 332-4834 ext. 114 to set up an evaluation.

References

"When Should my Baby Start Sitting Up?." Just Mommies. N.p.. Web. 28 Feb 2013. <http://www.justmommies.com/articles/baby-sitting-up.shtml>.

"Warning signs of a physical developmental delay." Baby Center. N.p.. Web. 28 Feb 2013. <http://www.babycenter.com/0_warning-signs-of-a-physical-developmental-delay_6720.bc>.

Hello Bloggers!

I’ve recently moved back to my home state of North Carolina after practicing speech-language pathology in Los Angeles, California for 5 years to work at Child and Family Development in Charlotte.

In my previous settings, I took on a strong interest in verbal motor-planning and motor speech disorders such as childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), dysarthria and verbal dyspraxia. I became PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Motor Phonetic Targets) trained 4 years ago and have been practicing the philosophy and techniques of this approach ever since! The PROMPT system has been used with phonological, developmentally delayed, dysarthric, dyspraxic, apraxic, hearing-impaired, autistic spectrum, and fluency disorders. The philosophy behind PROMPT is designed to integrate the most efficacious traditional and/or new approaches that augment, support, and enhance speech production interventions.

In treating children with motor speech disorders, I have also helped parents learn what to expect from their child when it comes to adequate speech production through all phases of treatment. I can imagine how frustrating it may be for a parent to hear a few simple words from their child for the first time only to never hear them again or to see your child struggle to produce new words.

Laura Mize, pediatric speech therapist, has a website with gobs of information for parents on motor speech disorders. Here is a link to one of my favorite articles called “Can’t vs. Won’t” focusing on a child that may demonstrate difficulty with speech production.

 (http://teachmetotalk.com/2011/05/03/cant-vs-wont/) 

Also, it’s a great website to peruse for early developmental milestones of speech and language and communication strategies for your toddlers. It’s also a great website for therapists as well with weekly tips for therapy ideas! Links below.

http://teachmetotalk.com/

http://promptinstitute.com/

http://teachmetotalk.com/2011/05/03/cant-vs-wont/

Many years ago I chose to become an occupational therapist working in the field of pediatrics. Occupational Therapy is a medical profession that uses engaging and everyday activities to help children and adults either recover skills that were lost due to accident or injury or gain skills that are slow to develop.

I engage with children who have Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, feeding disorders, genetic disorders, metabolic disorders, sensory processing disorders and even children with mild handwriting difficulties. 

Occupation refers to everyday activitie including self-care skills, school readiness skills (i.e., handwriting and cutting), play, and how we participate in family and community activities. As therapists we promote skill development in motor skills, visual skills, sensory processing skills, attention and other higher level cognitive and social skills.

With children, much of our treatment includes fun, play-based activities because this is highly motivating and the children are sometimes unaware that they are engaged in exercise or work activities that promote skill development. 

If you have questions or concerns about any area of your child's development, talk to your pediatrician about referring you for an Occupational Therapy evaluation or call us at Child and Family Development (click here for locations and phone numbers) to schedule a screening or evaluation.

Click here for more information on the occupational therapists at Child and Family Development!

If you know an Occupational Therapist already, please wish them  a "HAPPY OT MONTH!"

Child and Family Development therapists recently attended a great two-day course called A Dynamic Base of Support --  The Key To Enhancing Function.

The course was sponsored by Neuro-Developmental Treatment Association™ (NDTA) at Integrative Therapy Concepts near Charlotte.

It offered instruction and information about graded handling techniques and pediatric therapy strategies.

Among the therapists who attended:

• Mary Helen Bailey, Occupational Therapist
• Megan Bevington, Occupational Therapist
• Jessica Hoffarth, Occupational Therapist
• Michelle Pentz, Speech Therapist
• Courtney Stanley, Occupational Therapist 

At least once a week, I hear bedtime woes from clients: “My daughter is never tired at bedtime” or “My son takes hours to fall asleep.” Given that a child’s development relies on restorative sleep patterns, these concerns about bedtime are more than matters of convenience. Unhealthy sleep patterns can cause behavioral issues, changes in appetite and difficulty acquiring new skills, to name a few things.

To improve bedtime, tap into your child’s sensory system. Children with atypical sensory processing or modulation can have an even harder time calming themselves for bed.  I recently attended a course titled Effective Neurological Management of Sensory Processing Disorder presented by Charlene Young, OTR/L, CEAS.  In this course, Young provided some fresh, useful sensory suggestions to prepare your child for bedtime whether they have sensory difficulties or not. Here are some of her suggestions as well as my tried-and-true methods to improve bedtime routines:

To get to sleep

• Move your body. Before the bedtime routine even begins, make sure that the child has used his energy. Try to do 10-20 minutes of: 1) movement (running, jumping, skipping, rolling) and 2) heavy work (muscle work – e.g. carrying laundry baskets, rearranging chairs after dinner, doing wall push ups).  The movement will get out the child’s energy and the heavy work will reorganize his system.
• Stick to a routine. All children -- and most adults -- find comfort in routines. When you prepare for bedtime with the same steps every night – school night, weekend night, or summertime – you will put your child at ease.  Consider using a picture schedule to help both you and your little one stay on track.  A picture schedule also helps remind mom and dad - even grandma and grandpa - of the routine.
• Put down the iPad. Turn off electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime. The blue lights in electronics facilitate wakefulness.  Also, fluorescent lighting can negatively affect the nervous system. Turn these lights off before bedtime or, if needed, cover in green tissue paper to better calm. 
• Cool the body. Bathe your child in a hot bath for about 20 minutes. The drop in body temperature that follows when you take him out of the bath will calm his body. 

To stay asleep

• Lower the thermostat. Just as a drop in body temperature calms, cooler temperatures at night can help the body regulated and asleep.  Cooling pillows are also a good option.
• Left ear to the wall. Position your child’s left ear next to the wall to decrease noise.  The right ear needs to remain accessible to access the left side of the brain, which is the language-based area.
• Turn off the nightlight. Complete darkness facilitates melatonin production and aids with sleep

If you child still cannot regulate his sleep patterns, there may be a more significant medical issue.  Consult your pediatrician and/or occupational therapist.

Sweet dreams…zzzzzz

As a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist at Child and Family Development in Charlotte, NC, I work with children to improve many different areas of communication including articulation and phonology, language, fluency or stuttering, and voice.

What is voice?

Voice is the sound that is produced when your vocal cords vibrate together. The vocal cords are small muscles located in your larynx or “voice box.” These muscles open and close to let air in and out of the lungs, protect us from getting foods and liquids into our lungs, and give us voice.

What is a voice disorder?

A voice disorder occurs when there is a change in the quality of our voice. This change in quality is typically due to pathology or behaviors that affect the structure and function of the vocal cords. Children with voice disorders are commonly described as having a “hoarse” or “raspy” voice. A child may also experience periods of aphonia or loss of voicing, similar to laryngitis. If there is a chronic voice problem, these symptoms will typically last greater than 2 to 3 weeks at a time. Many different causes contribute to voice disorders and there may not be only one causal factor. Common causes of childhood voice disorders include:

• Harmful voice habits (e.g., yelling, throat clearing, coughing, screaming, harsh sounds).
• Poor water intake leading to decreased hydration
• Medications
• Infections
• Reflux
• Benign vocal fold lesions (e.g., vocal nodules, polyps, cysts)

Why is identification and treatment important?

Early identification of pediatric voice disorders is advisable because these disorders may progress to lifelong communicative impairments if left untreated. Voice disorders in children may impede their academic performance and their socialization in school. The majority of adult voice disorders are thought to begin during childhood.

How does a Speech Therapist help?

A Speech-Language Pathologist conducts voice evaluations to determine differences in vocal quality, pitch, loudness and other voice characteristics. A consult with an otolaryngologist (ear-nose-throat doctor) with specialty training in childhood voice disorders may be recommended. If a voice disorder is suggested, the Speech Pathologist can provide education on voice production and good vocal hygiene, teach voice exercises to improve vocal functioning and practice easy voicing, and help develop a home plan to improve vocal health and function.

If you have concerns about your child's voice or other communication skills, please contact our office to schedule an evaluation. Mention that you read about voice disorders on our blog. 

RELATED POST: Tips on helping your child's speech therapy at home. 

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.

The Contact Us tab on our website will link you to our address and Mapquest.

Did you know that Child and Family Development's office in South Charlotte is less than 5 miles from the state line and easily accessible from I-77 and the I-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 Gastonia, North Carolina?

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is less than 30 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.

The Contact Us tab on our website will link you to our address and Mapquest.

 

It's time for our Start-Of-Year Reminder for How To Get The Most Out Of Pediatric Therapy!

APPOINTMENTS & SCHEDULING

Consistency equals progress.  A frequency for treatment will be determined by you and the therapist considering several factors:

• The needs of your child
• The number of therapies required (or other activities you are involved in)
• Available insurance benefits and financial resources.  Every effort will be made to maximize your benefits.  
• An optimal time that works for schedules
• Be sure to attend all appointments and reschedule missed ones.

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:

• Get involved in the sessions.  Observe, participate and ask questions while you are here.
• Work with your child at home, even if it is for a short time each day.
• Make necessary doctor appointments promptly.
• Obtain prescriptions to support therapy regularly.  
• Be willing to try different techniques and activities, as recommended by your therapist

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

Ask anyone at Child and Family Development for more information about these tips.

Child and Family Development has an office in South Charlotte that is under 20 miles from there and easily accessible from the 485 loop.

Our multi-disciplinary practice 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. Our core services include Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Child Psychology and Education. In addition, we offer specialty services, including aquatic therapy, feeding groups and social skills groups.

The Contact Us tab on our website will link you to our address and Mapquest. 

We are just a hop, skip and jump away!

Currently, we have an opportunity for

a full-time Speech-Language Pathologist 

at our Midtown office in Charlotte.

Visit the Careers tab on our website

www.childandfamilydevelopment.com

for more information.