Happy Spring 2025! It is time for re-growth and renewal. I love the occasional snowflakes that remind us why we anticipate this time of year. I have been giving a lot of thought to the passing seasons/years as we transition from wintertime, and frankly, as I age.
When the staff were asked by our marketing/website consultant to write something for this month, I jumped at the chance to take a turn. Among the many ideas I had for what I wanted to write was to reflect on the power of play; another was the importance of the years of experience that many of the staff have, and what an amazing team we have across the Center’s three sites. I also found myself thinking about the importance of relationship and connection, something I learned from the great mentors who we have been fortunate to welcome into our clinic to work with us, our kids, and their families.
I had a decision to make, and my deadline passed to get this in. When I began writing, to my surprise, I received a card from a client from many years ago. Five days later, I received a text with a picture from another one of the first clients I worked with which gave me the idea of what to write. I want to share the insight of how, when, and why I was inspired to create and build one of the first interdisciplinary pediatric private practices in the area. I’ll start with the story of the girl in the picture.
"I vividly remember her mom saying to me something like, 'we have tried everything. If you don’t help us, we will have no hope or ideas of how to proceed.'”
When I was relatively new to private practice, the girl and her parents scheduled an appointment to come see me for OT. I vividly remember her mom saying to me something like, “we have tried everything. If you don’t help us, we will have no hope or ideas of how to proceed.” They were at a loss. She had a lot of things making her life extremely uncomfortable, and I had a lot to learn. I learned from her that as someone working with kids with unique and individual differences, I had to be with her in her ideas and developmental levels. This started with my love for DIRFloortime®, which brought with it the guidance of my mentor—and now dear friend—Ira Glovinsky. I didn’t have all the answers, but I went searching, and learned that it wasn’t only about the kids. I had to work on myself, and my skills, and comfortability, too.
Over 20 years have passed since we began working together, yet this family continues to send yearly updates at Christmas—I cherish how they continue to demonstrate the power of unconditional love. They’ve taught me how to support all children, and to never be afraid when a parent shares their truth and seeks out support. This girl was one of my greatest teachers. ❤️
The card I received this week was from a kid I saw 16 years ago. He is now 19 and is a student in college. As his mom said, “he came out of his introverted shell.” She wrote, “I know our issues were small in the grand scheme, but you never made us feel that way.” I truly believe that everyone is individual and has their own unique temperament, abilities, and strengths. It was in the early learning that I embraced this thought process, and it continues to help me learn in my practice, question my biases and beliefs, seek the best treatment for kids, and figure out how to overall better myself—this is what the kids inspire in me. I am extremely grateful that my career has given me the gift of learning that the best version of me is the one that understands the need to grow.
"She wrote, “I know our issues were small in the grand scheme, but you never made us feel that way.'"
I want to use this as an opportunity to share my appreciation for the community who recognizes and affirms our mission. I am incredibly grateful that our facility in Jenison gives us access to a great outdoor space, so we can help kids grow in nature. I have a great team, several whom have been with me from the earliest days. I have learned that relationships matter in every aspect of life, including management and running a business. I know that I have a lot to learn every day, and for that, I am grateful.
"Thank you to all of my staff for letting me watch you grow, be curious, and learn about your own individual differences as well as the development of each child and family you work with."
Thank you to all the kids and families who I have had the privilege to work with or assist my OT/PT/SLP therapists with. Thank you to my amazing front desk team that pulled us out of a tough summer. Thank you to all my mentors and the brilliant friends that I have all over the world because of this work. You all are truly the best in your fields. Thank you to all my staff for letting me watch you grow, be curious, and learn about your own individual differences as well as the development of each child and family you work with. I love to see your enthusiasm, teamwork, curiosity, vulnerabilities, professional growth, and dedication to the kids. Thanks for our interdisciplinary approach and team that values working together to best support each other and the people that come through our doors. Most importantly, thank you to every kid who I have had the privilege to work with. You have been my best teachers, and I look forward to whatever else I will learn over the next five… maybe even 10 years.
In that, I leave it to each family to decide that they want to come to a place that can offer many years of experience, an interdisciplinary approach, and share the firm belief in the importance of differences, relationships, and continual learning so that we can better support everyone.
…how, when, and why I was inspired to create and build one of the first interdisciplinary pediatric private practices in the area. I’ll start with the story of the girl in the picture.
I can tell you that there is nothing better than when we, at the Center, receive the list of the children who have received a scholarship to receive therapy at our organization.
VitalStim Therapy, a specialized type of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), is a therapeutic intervention used to treat dysphagia.
An OT, SLP, and a PT are serving up gift recommendations for your kids this year. See what they have in store for them.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic condition triggered by foods that causes inflammation and narrowing of the esophagus.
See who made the “Best Doctors & Health Care Pros in Grand Rapids” list.
Hannah’s job search ended when she found an environment that supported her desire for ongoing learning. Lucky for us, that was here.
An OT, a PT, and an SLP walked into a toy store. Here’s what they picked out for your kids!
What makes The Center for Childhood Development unique? A reflection on 20 years of practice.
Picture this….you have just spent a long day at the park and now it’s time to go home, but guess what?
When should we be concerned about toe walking? Katie DeRoo PT, DPT, C/NDT is here to tell us.
Wendi Cuson, MS, OTR/L shares insights and tools for children with handwriting challenges.
Transport from one location to another enables participation in daily occupations (the things we want and need to do)…
V/V is a language-based program that develops and enriches a child’s ability to picture a spoken or written word/sentence.
The Center has really helped me so much and I want to pay it forward to the next kid.
Supporting brain and body function with tools that can be used in the clinic and at home.
Supporting brain and body function with tools that can be used in the clinic and at home.
Our OTs and PTs spent two days learning about the assessment and treatment of motor and nervous system function.
