Our Services
There is no standard therapy that works for all patients. Therefore, our team of healthcare professionals work together to identify a child's unique needs and impairments and then to create an individual treatment plan that addresses them.Medical
Children with cerebral palsy are followed by an orthopedist who also prescribes therapy. A pediatrician who performs a developmental neurological examination sees children with learning disabilities.Social Services
Social workers provide individual and group counseling for children and their families, help families carry out treatment recommendations, and assist families in using community resources.Psychological Services
Our psychologist provides psychological testing, which gives an estimate of the child’s learning potential or functioning level and identifies strengths and weaknesses, and may test for AD/HD. The psychologist also provides counseling and behavior management.Physical Therapy
Physical therapists provide treatment to enable physically disabled and developmentally delayed children to become as independent as possible in all gross motor skills. This is done through intensive therapy sessions and through educating parents and teachers on appropriate activities and exercises to be conducted daily.Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists provide treatment for the physical and perpetual problems, which interfere with self-care skills and educational goals. Treatment is given in intensive one-on-one therapy sessions. Careful attention is given to see the skills gained in therapy are applied to classroom and home activities. Suggestions are given for physical adaptations, which increase functional abilities.Speech and Language Therapy
Speech-language pathologists provide treatment to communicate effectively. This involves the understanding of needs and ideas through clear speech and/or an alternative communication system, with language appropriate to the developmental age of the child. Parents are guided in their role in promoting language skills.Assistive Technology Assessment and Training
This service incorporates the use of a transdisciplinary team that can include the child, parents, speech therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists, and other professionals depending upon the child’s needs. The process also includes the consideration of the child’s functional skill level, needs, and current environment. The goal is to incorporate assistive technology equipment and/or services so that children with special needs can reach their maximum potential.
Therapists are able to provide assistive technology assessments and training to improve a child’s ability to communicate and function within their everyday environments. Assistive technology is used by individuals with disabilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible.
Isabella is a beautiful five-year old child who has been coming to the Center since she was six months old. It is very rare to see her without a smile. Isabella came to the McMains Children's Developmental Center because of concerns of developmental delays. Isabella's doctors diagnosed her with schizencephaly, an extremely rare developmental birth defect characterized by abnormal clefts in the brain, and a secondary diagnosis of cerebral palsy. When she first came to the Center, Isabella had major motor delays, had problems swallowing and using her hands to grasp. Isabella receives physical, occupational, and speech and language therapies, through these systematic and intensive therapies, she is able to walk (and sometimes run!) with a gait trainer, button and unbutton shirts, sit up, articulate some words and feed herself. She started school in a regular kindergarten class this fall--amazing!
Will is a handsome 11-year old boy who has been coming to the Center since he was three years old. Will's exuberant and outgoing personality certainly brightens the Center's hallways. Will has Down Syndrome and he comes to the Center to receive speech and occupational therapies. With the help of his speech therapist, Will has made tremendous improvement in his articulation skills and now has excellent use of language in conversation. In 2009, Will achieved his long-term goals and graduated from occupational therapy. Goals that he achieved include tasks like calendar use, coin identification, and handwriting skills.
When Joseph was three, his mom realized that he was having trouble with his speech.
She contacted the McMains Children's Developmental Center where Joseph was
evaluated. He began speech/language therapy to address concerns with language and
with apraxia, a motor- based speech problem where the brain will substitute a different
sound or word than what is needed. Upon first starting speech therapy, Joseph would
hang back by his mom not wanting to venture back with the therapist. He would go
though, and soon he was heading reluctantly back on his own, but would go literally as
quiet as a mouse. Along with his individual speech therapy, he was also paired
sometimes with another child. Together the boys would learn and build together on each
other's strengths. Often though as children enter school and have new learning tasks to
accomplish, it is not unusual for new problems to surface. In Joseph's case, he was now
exhibiting some reading concerns at his school. His teacher noted that Joseph was having
difficulty with reading comprehension, word recall and recognition, and writing
sentences. After the teacher, speech therapist, and mom consulted, Joseph was then
scheduled to receive a multidisciplinary evaluation, at McMains Children's
Developmental Center which included a psychological evaluation for IQ, educational
evaluation for strengths and weaknesses in reading and math, speech and language
evaluation for processing information and occupational therapy evaluation for fine motor
concerns. At the conclusion of this process, Joseph was able to start educational therapy
to assist him with these reading concerns. Joseph is a
happy energetic young man who loves playing basketball, soccer, and the piano. He is
also the proud new big brother. And by the way, that quiet little mouse now makes his
presence known as he goes back to therapy greeting others along the way! Joseph has now entered third grade.