Since 1980, C&FD has been working closely with children and families, pediatricians, specialists, schools and others in the community. Our experienced therapists assist families with a wide variety of concerns and questions. Expertise and training enables us to help many people in extraordinary ways, from newborns to college age.

Many parents and families may be wondering how to talk to their children about horrific events that sometimes happen in our world. Hearing about the recent tragic event in Florida may have left your child with a number of questions or feelings of anxiety. Although many families try to shield their children from media coverage, children of any age can hear about events from peers or others in the community. If you need to have a conversation with your child about such an event, consider the following tips to help guide your discussion.

Child and Family Development is pleased to expand our services to include: Multidisciplinary Feeding Evaluations & Clinic Services 

This specialty clinic offers both multidisciplinary evaluations and treatment services for children, ages 4-16 years old, with feeding disorders and/or extreme picky eating. This service is appropriate for children or adolescents who have been formally diagnosed with Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID).

This clinic occurs at our Pineville office with an expert diagnostic team including: 

• psychologists and counselors 
• occupational therapists
• speech therapists  

Feeding problems are characterized by:

• A restricted range or variety of foods, usually less than 20 items
• Resistance to adding new foods
• Refusal of categories of food textures, temperatures or appearance
• Long feeding/ meal times (more than 30 minutes)
• Frequent gagging or vomiting
• Taking a few bites and then refusing more food 

The Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding Approach™ (SOS) model will work to expand children’s food repertoire, improve oral motor skills, and develop socially acceptable feeding behaviors. It is designed to help increase a child’s comfort with eating both in the home and community. The focus of treatment will be on food exploration in a comfortable and sensory supportive environment and will also include a parent education component. Many of our speech therapists and occupational therapists have specialty training in both the sensory and motor aspects of a feeding or swallowing problem. Treatment for feeding disorders can help a child become a functional eater. Treatment strategies include work on oral sensory awareness, motor execution and motor planning tasks, social modeling, structured meal and snack times, positive reinforcement and home programming. These services are designed to provide parents with the training they need to target their child’s eating strategies outside of the clinic and produce positive outcomes. 

EVALUATIONS: The evaluation would include an examination of the structures and movements in the mouth, observation of feeding behaviors, observations of the influences of respiration and posture, and informal assessment of nutrition. Food and drink trials are often included in an assessment. Review of medical history form and other records which are shared prior to first appointment. Standardized behavioral questionnaires are provided for parents and teaching/daycare staff to gain information on skills in the home/school settings and to identify any psychological symptoms which warrant specific treatment (e.g., anxiety). Consultative time is an essential portion of this specialty service and is an out of pocket expense.

• Intake 1-hour diagnostic interview with psychologist for parents only
• Testing Session: 1 ½ hour evaluation with both speech therapist and occupational therapist. This allows comprehensive observation of skills and represents a best-practice approach to evaluation services for feeding therapy.
• Interpretive Parent Conference (IPC): 1 hour appointment with parents and members of the diagnostic team during which parents are able to thoroughly understand their child’s development and feeding therapy plan. A written report includes findings, diagnostic impressions and recommendations.

Estimated evaluation cost: $2,381.00 (partially billable to insurance); may be billable to insurance ($1,205.00) and out-of-pocket only ($270.00). 

FEEDING CLINIC SERVICES: The clinic starts with a parent interview with a psychologist or counselor to review the child’s medical history and gather detailed information about the child’s feeding history, mealtime environment, and related behaviors. A behavioral questionnaire is provided to parents and teachers/childcare providers to gather information from both settings. The feeding clinic provides a 12 week structured curriculum to provide parents with all of the skills and knowledge they need to continue to produce positive outcomes after the clinic ends.

The clinic services are a 2-pronged approach that provides individualized intervention. Parents meet with psychologists and counselors without their children present to learn detailed strategies that work to change their child’s behaviors and approach to food (approximately 8 sessions). Parents and children also participate in several joint sessions to learn effective interventions to learn coping strategies and reduce anxiety (approximately 4 sessions).

Children work 1:1 with a feeding therapist using the (SOS) model with a focus on safe food exploration in a comfortable and sensory supportive environment. This evidence-based program includes a comprehensive parent education component, and parents are expected to participate on all feeding sessions in order to understand their child’s feeding behavior and effective management interventions.

A parent only summary session is provided at the end of the 12 week course with both feeding therapist and psychologist/counselor to review progress and provide a specific plan for next steps.

Both rehabilitation and psychological treatment is billable to insurance. Psychologists and counselors are in-network with Aetna and BCBS. Deductibles and copays apply. An out of pocket charge is included in the registration for services which covers consultative time for treatment team members to meet to discuss each case in detail.

Estimated clinic services cost: billable to insurance – 12 weekly therapy sessions for both psychology and rehab services and self-pay only - $ 336.00

Read more about the C&FD multidisciplinary feeding clinic here. 

We are pleased to expand our services to include: Multidisciplinary Developmental Evaluations for children ages 24 months-4 years

Our multidisciplinary infant-toddler diagnostic team offers these specialty evaluations at our Midtown Child and Family Development office. The diagnostic evaluation assesses domains for language and communication skills, early cognitive development, adaptive functioning, play skills and symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Expert diagnostic team:
• Psychologists, Ashley Kies PhD or Devon Redmond PhD
• Speech-Language Therapist, Melinda Schatz MA CCC-SLP

Usual and customary tools:  
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2®)
• Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS™)
• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III®) 
• Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5™)
• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3™)

Estimated cost: $2,381.00 (partially billable to insurance)

Read more about multidisciplinary evaluations. 

Child and Family Development psychologists and educators offer comprehensive evaluation services.  

Ever know a child who seems to fall, trip and bump into things more than peers?  Many skills must be in place to support good balance and proprioception. Adequate sensory processing skills, range of motion, and strength are foundational skills required for balance and knowing where you are in space.

SENSORY PROCESSING & PROPRIOCEPTION

The Vestibular System:

• Tells us where our heads and bodies are in relation to the surface of the earth
• Tells us whether we are moving or standing still and whether objects are moving or motionless in relation to our body
• Tells us about the direction in which we are moving and how fast we are moving
• Lays a foundation for visual input
• Without good information coming from the vestibular system, sights and sounds in the environment don’t make sense.

The Visual System:

• Our eyes should work together in a teamed fashion with smooth movements to scan our environment and notice how close or far things are from our body to help us maneuver through space.

The Proprioceptive System:

• Proprioceptive input receptors are in the muscles and joints and give information to the brain about the amount of stretch in each muscle and pressure on each joint.
• This provides an accurate picture of the body’s position in space without the use of vision.  
• Proprioception provides feedback for grading muscle movements and for how much force is needed to interact with an object or person in the environment.

BALANCE

Balance Expectations by age:

• 3 year old - balance on 1 foot for 3 seconds
• 3 year old – use alternating feet when climbing stairs
• 4 year old - hop on 1 foot
• 5 year old - balance on 1 foot for 10 seconds

Red Flags for Balance Difficulties

• Child trips/falls/bumps into things often
• Child who is fearful of movement
• Child who seeks out movement
• Child who appears to have good balance while moving, but poor balance when expected to stay still
• Child who has difficulty moving through dynamic environments
• Child who has difficulty walking across different or dynamic surfaces
•  

HOW DO THESE SYSTEMS WORK TOGETHER?

• Information from these body systems is processed and combined in order for a person to adapt and react to a changing environment.

HAVE A CONCERN?

Contact an occupational therapist at Child and Family Development for a standardized assessment of motor and sensory skills. Treatment modalities may include:

• Sensory Integration
• Core/Postural Strengthening
• Postural Control and Stability Training
• Balance Strategies Training
• Visual-Motor Exercises
• Oculomotor Training
• Therapeutic Listening ®

Click here to read more about our occupational therapy services.

Click here for a printable page about sensory processing.

Child and Family Development is pleased to expand our services to include: Multidisciplinary Feeding Evaluations & Clinic Services 

This specialty clinic offers both multidisciplinary evaluations and treatment services for children, ages 4-16 years old, with feeding disorders and/or extreme picky eating. This service is appropriate for children or adolescents who have been formally diagnosed with Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID).

This clinic occurs at our Pineville office with an expert diagnostic team including: 

• psychologists and counselors 
• occupational therapists
• speech therapists  

Feeding problems are characterized by:

• A restricted range or variety of foods, usually less than 20 items
• Resistance to adding new foods
• Refusal of categories of food textures, temperatures or appearance
• Long feeding/ meal times (more than 30 minutes)
• Frequent gagging or vomiting
• Taking a few bites and then refusing more food 

The Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding Approach™ (SOS) model will work to expand children’s food repertoire, improve oral motor skills, and develop socially acceptable feeding behaviors. It is designed to help increase a child’s comfort with eating both in the home and community. The focus of treatment will be on food exploration in a comfortable and sensory supportive environment and will also include a parent education component. Many of our speech therapists and occupational therapists have specialty training in both the sensory and motor aspects of a feeding or swallowing problem. Treatment for feeding disorders can help a child become a functional eater. Treatment strategies include work on oral sensory awareness, motor execution and motor planning tasks, social modeling, structured meal and snack times, positive reinforcement and home programming. These services are designed to provide parents with the training they need to target their child’s eating strategies outside of the clinic and produce positive outcomes. 

EVALUATIONS: The evaluation would include an examination of the structures and movements in the mouth, observation of feeding behaviors, observations of the influences of respiration and posture, and informal assessment of nutrition. Food and drink trials are often included in an assessment. Review of medical history form and other records which are shared prior to first appointment. Standardized behavioral questionnaires are provided for parents and teaching/daycare staff to gain information on skills in the home/school settings and to identify any psychological symptoms which warrant specific treatment (e.g., anxiety). Consultative time is an essential portion of this specialty service and is an out of pocket expense.

• Intake 1-hour diagnostic interview with psychologist for parents only
• Testing Session: 1 ½ hour evaluation with both speech therapist and occupational therapist. This allows comprehensive observation of skills and represents a best-practice approach to evaluation services for feeding therapy.
• Interpretive Parent Conference (IPC): 1 hour appointment with parents and members of the diagnostic team during which parents are able to thoroughly understand their child’s development and feeding therapy plan. A written report includes findings, diagnostic impressions and recommendations.

Estimated evaluation cost: $2,381.00 (partially billable to insurance); may be billable to insurance ($1,205.00) and out-of-pocket only ($270.00). 

FEEDING CLINIC SERVICES: The clinic starts with a parent interview with a psychologist or counselor to review the child’s medical history and gather detailed information about the child’s feeding history, mealtime environment, and related behaviors. A behavioral questionnaire is provided to parents and teachers/childcare providers to gather information from both settings. The feeding clinic provides a 12 week structured curriculum to provide parents with all of the skills and knowledge they need to continue to produce positive outcomes after the clinic ends.

The clinic services are a 2-pronged approach that provides individualized intervention. Parents meet with psychologists and counselors without their children present to learn detailed strategies that work to change their child’s behaviors and approach to food (approximately 8 sessions). Parents and children also participate in several joint sessions to learn effective interventions to learn coping strategies and reduce anxiety (approximately 4 sessions).

Children work 1:1 with a feeding therapist using the (SOS) model with a focus on safe food exploration in a comfortable and sensory supportive environment. This evidence-based program includes a comprehensive parent education component, and parents are expected to participate on all feeding sessions in order to understand their child’s feeding behavior and effective management interventions.

A parent only summary session is provided at the end of the 12 week course with both feeding therapist and psychologist/counselor to review progress and provide a specific plan for next steps.

Both rehabilitation and psychological treatment is billable to insurance. Psychologists and counselors are in-network with Aetna and BCBS. Deductibles and copays apply. An out of pocket charge is included in the registration for services which covers consultative time for treatment team members to meet to discuss each case in detail.

Estimated clinic services cost: billable to insurance – 12 weekly therapy sessions for both psychology and rehab services and self-pay only - $ 336.00

Read more about the C&FD multidisciplinary feeding clinic here. 

A community colleague shared a funny story about talking with her pupil after he had completed psychoeducational testing sessions with educator, Mo Froneberger and psychologist, Brandyn Street.

She shares: “A kid that I am tutoring is being tested by Dr. Street and today worked with Mo.  He had fun both times, he said. l had said that today with Mo wouldn't be as much fun as Dr. Street and he said I was wrong!  Once again, thanks for getting it right!"  

Worried about autism? Wondering if your child is on track? 

Child and Family Development offers Multidisciplinary Developmental Evaluations for children ages 24 months-4 years

Our multidisciplinary infant-toddler diagnostic team offers these specialty evaluations at our Midtown Child and Family Development office. The diagnostic evaluation assesses domains for language and communication skills, early cognitive development, adaptive functioning, play skills and symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Fall 2017 expert diagnostic team:
• Psychologist, Devon Redmond PhD
• Speech-Language Therapist, Melinda Schatz MA CCC-SLP

Usual and customary tools:  
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2®)
• Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS™)
• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III®) 
• Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5™)
• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3™)

Estimated cost: $2,381.00 (partially billable to insurance)

Read more about multidisciplinary evaluations here.   

Happy C&FD Anniversary to Chris Vrabel

Chris Vrabel, PhD is a psychologist at the Pineville office. He is celebrating 6 years at Child and Family Development this month.   

Dr. Vrabel enjoys working with children, adolescents and young adults to manage issues such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, anxiety and depression. While he is serious about helping families, he admits to enjoying the occasional therapeutic game of Connect 4 during the workday too!  

Gretchen Hunter PhD marks 6 years at Child and Family Development this summer! She is a neuropsychologist and clinical supervisor at both the Midtown and Pineville offices.   

Dr. Hunter and her husband, also a psychologist, are native Charlotteans who returned here to start their family and settle in professionally.  After 6 years, she enjoys connecting with people new and old. Over the years, she interacts with families and colleagues that she has known for many years and recently, her child's soccer coach was a high school friend's spouse.  It's a small world and she is here to help it! 

Happy Anniversary Gretchen! 

We are pleased to expand our services to include: Multidisciplinary Developmental Evaluations for children ages 24 months-4 years

Our multidisciplinary infant-toddler diagnostic team offers these specialty evaluations at our Midtown Child and Family Development office. The diagnostic evaluation assesses domains for language and communication skills, early cognitive development, adaptive functioning, play skills and symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Expert diagnostic team:
• Psychologists, Ashley Kies PhD or Devon Redmond PhD
• Speech-Language Therapist, Melinda Schatz MA CCC-SLP

Usual and customary tools:  
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2®)
• Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS™)
• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III®) 
• Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition (PLS-5™)
• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3™)

Estimated cost: $2,381.00 (partially billable to insurance)

Read more about multidisciplinary evaluations. 

It is always nice to receive praise from another community professional.  Recently, an EC Director at a local charter school shared: 

"I recommended you all for a friend looking to get her child tested. Psychologist, Brandyn Street tested her son. They were extremely happy with everything. The mother is an educator and she was particularly complimentary about their parent conference after all of the testing. She said she felt like they understood everything and that they walked out confident about the information. Just recommended you to another friend. So thanks for doing a great job!"
       

Trisha Dyer LPC/A marked 1 year at Child and Family Development this summer! She is a counselor at the Pineville office.  

Trisha is very active in our social skills program helping children and adolescents on improving social skills, coping mechanisms, managing anxiety and other difficulties during development. 

Happy Anniversary Trisha! 

Kelsie Salmen PsyD, psychologist, joined the Child and Family Development team this week.       

She recently moved to Charlotte from Chicago where she completed training focused on child and adolescent assessment and psychotherapy. Kelsie is originally from Cleveland, Ohio but spent five years on the east coast during grad school, specifically in Baltimore at Loyola University Maryland and Washington, D.C. at George Washington University. 

She works at the Pineville office in Charlotte.

Welcome Dr. Salmen!  

Read more about our psychology assessment and counseling services here.          

Register now! Child and Family DevelopmentFALL 2017 SOCIAL SKILLS PROGRAM begins on September 5. The program is led by several C&FD psychologists. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Curriculum-based materials will be utilized to improve social, emotional, and self-regulatory strategies and skills. Meetings will include a short lesson and opportunities for practice (e.g., role-playing, activities and games). Acquisition of skills can lead to reduced stress and anxiety, improved school performance, healthier peer relationships, and better management of emotions and reactions. Parent handouts will be provided regularly that review content and offers suggestions for working on that week’s skill at home. Focus will be on skills including conversational skills, choosing appropriate friends, appropriate use of humor, being flexible, having get-togethers, being a good sport, responding to teasing/ bullying and handling disagreements.

45-minute sessions are weekly for a consecutive 10-week period. Additional programs, including for other ages and other difficulties, may be offered as interest exists.

FALL 2017 OFFERINGS (Pineville office only)

• Weekly meetings begin the week of 9/5 and run through mid November
• Options for flexible age grouping based on interest and clinician availability
• Groups meet Tues, Wed, and Thurs during afterschool hours (4:30 and 5:15 start times)

COST 

Programs are offered in 10 session bundles. Full payment of $500.00 is required at the time of enrollment.

We accept cash, checks, or Visa/MasterCard. This is a self pay service that cannot be submitted to insurance. Parents/guardians are responsible for payment. In the case of divorced parents, foster care parents, etc., the adult who arranges for services for the minor is responsible for payment. C&FD is not responsible for billing or collecting from any other party. There are no refunds for canceled or missed appointments. C&FD is not responsible for missed appointments and will not pro-rate the total rate for missed sessions. To ensure optimal placement, a diagnostic interview is required for clients who are 1) new to C&FD or 2) have not participated in a psycho-educational evaluation within the last year, before enrolling to review presenting concerns and medical history. This service may be billable to insurance. Most of our psychologists are in-network with Aetna and BCBS. Unexpected provider-cancelled sessions will be rescheduled to a designated make-up date and offered at no additional cost. Weekly attendance is strongly encouraged to build continuity of skills. Attendees make more progress with consistent attendance to review and practice skills.

CONTACT
Gretchen Hunter, PhD
704-940-0626

Click here for an info page.

Child and Family Development occupational therapy and psychology teams help kids, teens and young adults live life to the fullest.

Counseling and therapy services are beneficial when worry or anxiety interferes with everyday well being and functions.

One helpful tool from Zones of Regulation® is this "Size Of The Problem" chart that prompts one to consider:

• The size of your reaction has to match the size of the problem
• How big do others see the problem?
• How big should your reaction be?    

It easily distinguishes a range and can frame an appropriate response and action. 

More Social Thinking information is available on their website here.

Read more about our occupational therapy services here.

Read more about our counseling services here. 

Happy C&FD Anniversary to Ashley Kies

Ashley Kies PhD LPA NCSP is a psychologist at the Midtown office. She is celebrating 1 year at Child and Family Development this month.   

She shares:  

"“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first year at C&FD.  I appreciate being able to serve a wide span of ages through evaluations and in both individual and group therapy.  My current client caseload ranging from ages 3-23 always promises a fun, rewarding day full of smiling faces and laughter.  Lately I’ve enjoyed being asked about my growing belly (I’m expecting).  There is currently a tie for my favorite thing about work: 1) seeing a child and their parents’ shared sense of pride after successfully meeting therapy goals and 2) watching participants get to know each other and develop friendships over the course of a Social Skills program.”

Congratulations Ashley! 

The next Child and Family DevelopmentSOCIAL SKILLS PROGRAM begins in September 2017. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Curriculum-based materials will be utilized to improve social, emotional, and self-regulatory strategies and skills. Meetings will include a short lesson and opportunities for practice (e.g., role-playing, activities and games). Acquisition of skills can lead to reduced stress and anxiety, improved school performance, healthier peer relationships, and better management of emotions and reactions. Parent handouts will be provided regularly that review content and offers suggestions for working on that week’s skill at home. Focus will be on skills including conversational skills, choosing appropriate friends, appropriate use of humor, being flexible, having get-togethers, being a good sport, responding to teasing/ bullying and handling disagreements.

45-minute sessions are weekly for a consecutive 10-week period. Additional programs, including for other ages and other difficulties, may be offered as interest exists.

FALL 2017 OFFERINGS (Pineville office only)

Boys & Girls (4-6 years): Tuesdays 4:30, Dates: 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 11/7, 11/14

Boys (13-15 years): Tuesdays 5:15, Dates: 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 11/7, 11/14

Girls (10-12 years): Wednesdays 4:30, Dates: 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/8, 11/15

Boys (8-9 years): Wednesdays 5:15, Dates: 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/8, 11/15

Boys (10-12 years): Thursdays 4:30, Dates: 9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/9, 11/16

Girls (7-9 years): Thursdays 5:15, Dates: 9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/9, 11/16

COST
Programs are offered in 10 session bundles. Full payment of $500.00 is required at the time of enrollment.

We accept cash, checks, or Visa/MasterCard. This is a self pay service that cannot be submitted to insurance. Parents/guardians are responsible for payment. In the case of divorced parents, foster care parents, etc., the adult who arranges for services for the minor is responsible for payment. C&FD is not responsible for billing or collecting from any other party. There are no refunds for canceled or missed appointments. C&FD is not responsible for missed appointments and will not pro-rate the total rate for missed sessions. To ensure optimal placement, a diagnostic interview is required for clients who are 1) new to C&FD or 2) have not participated in a psycho-educational evaluation within the last year, before enrolling to review presenting concerns and medical history. This service may be billable to insurance. Most of our psychologists are in-network with Aetna and BCBS. Unexpected provider-cancelled sessions will be rescheduled to a designated make-up date and offered at no additional cost. Weekly attendance is strongly encouraged to build continuity of skills. Attendees make more progress with consistent attendance to review and practice skills.

CONTACT
Gretchen Hunter, PhD
704-940-0626

Click here for an info page.