Project Description:
<p>Several clinics in the region, including Boyer Children's Clinic, Holly Ridge Development Center, and the Kindering Center, provide services to children and adults with special needs; UCEDD faculty and trainees in professions relevant to developmental disabilities participate in a variety of ways in these specialized clinics, as described below.</p><p>Boyer Children's Clinic, a community-based clinic, is a non-profit therapy and early childhood educational facility serving children from birth to three years of age who have neuromuscular disorders such as cerebral palsy or delays in development. The mission of Boyer Children's Clinic is to improve the quality of life of children with neuromuscular disorders or other developmental delays by providing the best solutions for each child and family. To achieve this mission, a multi-disciplinary team, including a developmental pediatrician, a nurse, speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, educators, family resource coordinators and a social worker, provides services. The team works closely with the family to conduct initial diagnostic assessments and plan and implement individual programs. CHDD faculty work at Boyer Children's Clinic to improve service delivery and facilitate training for pediatric fellows and residents. Faculty also see clients who need developmental pediatric consultations, answer medical questions for staff, and facilitate communication with primary care physicians who send clients to Boyer.</p><p>Holly Ridge Development Center is a non-profit agency that provides services for children and adults with special needs. Holly Ridge Center is an outpatient center for children up to age three with a range of developmental disabilities. Located in Bremerton, WA, Holly Ridge serves clients in Kitsap County and portions of adjacent counties that are often underserved by medical specialists and far from urban tertiary centers. A developmental psychologist from CHDD and an affiliated developmental pediatrician conduct an outreach diagnostic and assessment clinic at this location one or two days a month. Each year this project serves about 24 children with special needs. Children receive pediatric-psychology assessments to verify eligibility for birth-to-three social or educational services, assist with ongoing programming, or resolve additional diagnostic questions. Approximately one fifth of these children are in foster care at the time of the assessment. After each assessment, a conference is held with the staff and program coordinators to discuss findings and to develop recommendations specific to a given child and family.</p><p>The Kindering Center, a not-for-profit neurodevelopmental center, has been providing comprehensive services for children with special needs and their families since 1962. Each year thousands of infants and children receive crucial therapies, special education, and counseling. The Clinical Training Unit (CTU) of the UCEDD provides Nutrition consultation services, including chart review, evaluations, and collaboration in the development and monitoring of interventions.</p>
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups
