Child & Family Development, Inc.
Our Mission
The Family Clinic: Multi-Modal Management of ADHD and Related Emotional Issues
meet our staff
 

The Family Clinic: Multi-Modal Management of ADHD and Related Emotional Issues opened in February 1991, a joint effort of Carolina Neurological Clinic and Child and Family Development, to provide services to children diagnosed with attention disorders. Since 2001, Dr. Pleas Geyer from Carolinas Medical Center has led the collaboration. The Family Clinic has broadened it’s scope to include not only children with ADD/ADHD, but also autism spectrum disorders, developmental disorders, anxiety, depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and other emotional issues.


The Family Clinic meets at our office. The treatment goal is to carefully monitor and support children with diagnosed ADHD/ADD, anxiety, depression, developmental disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and related emotional disorders, including medication therapy, focusing on the impact on development and school performance.

Other clinicians, including Educational Specialists, are available for consultation in conjunction with Dr. Geyer' expertise.


Approximately 3-5% of our school-age population presents the varied characteristics that are called Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (impulsive, motor-driven, distractible) or Undifferentiated Attention Deficit Disorder (spacey, distractible, off-task, dreamy, unfocused). For these children, a four-prong approach makes a major impact on their sense of esteem and success:
 
  • A thorough evaluation that presents a clear picture of the type of attention disorder and any attending problems that coexist with ADHD/ADD: of the 3-5% with ADHD/ADD, 50-60% also have learning disability; 20% show emerging conduct disorder; 25-30% present social skills deficits; and many are oppositional in personality, causing conflict within the family.
  • Parent and child education, to teach the parents ways to guide and support as well as to recognize patterns that mean the problem needs to be "reframed". Children need to learn self-acceptance.
  • Classroom modifications that enable a teacher to provide successful school experiences, in-school resource help, and/or private therapy that address learning problems.
  • Medication therapy with frequent drug modifications. The American Medical Association, Pediatric Division, recommends a medication recheck every 4 months while a patient is taking medication to treat ADHD/ADD.
Areas addressed:
 
  • A review of teacher questionnaires at each recheck visit to gather the teacher's observations.
  • A review of report cards.
  • Parent and child input on successes and failures that each experiences: school; the child and his/her peers; the child and his/her medicine; and the child's own sense of self.
  • A careful chart review is done prior to appointments to secure input from therapists and others and to maintain focus.
  • Planning for other interventions that could strengthen the child's opportunity for success: educational evaluation, input for school advocacy, community resources, and any further therapy services.
  • Parents and the child are encouraged to problem solve together.
  • Our belief is that management of children with these challenges is multi-faceted and requires support and intervention on many levels. A continuing dialogue is the most vital way to bridge the gap between success and failure for these youngsters.
 

 
The Family Clinic Staff
Pleas R. Geyer, M.D., is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who joined the Family Clinic at Child & Family Development to provide care and medication management of children and adolescents diagnosed with emotional and developmental disorders. Dr. Geyer is in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Carolinas Medical Center, and is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Chicago, where he was Chief Resident in Psychiatry. He also completed his Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Chicago in 1981. Additionally, Dr. Geyer has trained at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. He brings a depth of experience in his treatment of our child and adolescent population. Dr. Geyer is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry. Currently, he serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the North Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.