Beaumont Center for Exceptional Families
Given the support of grants, individual donors, and our organization, the center has been able to maintain our level of excellence, quality of care and connections with families on many different levels. The staff treat patients with evidence-based medicine and innovative treatment techniques.
Services include:
- development of individualized health care plans
- coordination of health care planning among primary care physicians
- school personnel collaboration
- behavioral and psychosocial support services
- rehabilitation resources
- family advocacy
- support and liaison with community service agencies
Medical Services
Children’s Multidisciplinary Specialty Clinic
Designed to meet the needs of our multiply-impaired population,
families will see medical professionals, rehabilitation specialists,
social worker, and psychologist all in a “one-stop” shopping model. A
coordinated healthcare plan is devised at the end of each visit with
goals and suggestions for next steps for your child and family.
Children’s Comprehensive Spasticity Management
Board Certified as a Pediatrician, Physiatrist, and Pediatric
Rehabilitation Specialist, Dr. Youngs offers the entire continuum of
Spasticity management treatments to children with Cerebral Palsy and
other tone-altering disorders. These include therapies, oral
medications, Botox injections, Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy and
consultation regarding other surgical options.
Learning Disorders Evaluations
The Center for Exceptional Families wants to support all
children who find learning in school a challenge. Whether your child is
experiencing symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder or a more
Comprehensive Learning Disorder, our program aims to assist parents with
the challenging task of sorting out where their child’s learning breaks
down. More importantly we are passionate about cheering on kids who are
different learners.
Neuromuscular Assessments
Dr. Youngs performs detailed consultations on children who
present with abnormal muscle tone, coordination disorders, imbalance,
and generalized delayed motor development. She will collaborate with
treating neurologists and therapists to help a child work toward optimal
motor functioning.
Pharmacological and Behavioral Management of Atypical Behavior
Children with Developmental Disabilities often struggle with atypical
behaviors. Hyperactivity, Aggression, Opposition,
Obsessive-Compulsiveness, Sensory Defensiveness and Poor Sleeping Habits
are common parental concerns. We discuss at clinic visits different
options for treating aberrant behaviors and respect highly parental
choice for management.
Assessment and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders
The Program for Exceptional Families has over a decade of
experience diagnosing children with autism spectrum disorders. We
believe that families deserve healthy and fair discussions regarding
both traditional therapies and services for their child with autism as
well as Biomedical treatments for autism.
Beaumont Children's Center for Exceptional Families has been designated as an Approved Autism Evaluation Center by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. As an approved center, the CEF can evaluate and make or confirm a diagnosis of autism and develop a treatment plan.
Treatment Plans for Children with Genetic Syndromes
When a child is diagnosed with a Genetic Syndrome like Downs
Syndrome, DeGeorge Syndrome, Velocardiofacial Syndrome, Williams
Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome or other disorders, families have lots
of questions and concerns. Our staff strives to help families create a
coordinated plan of approach to their child’s unique medical,
developmental, educational and social concerns.
School-Based Multi-Disciplinary Clinics
Because we know that your child’s school team of professionals
knows a child well, the Center for Exceptional Families has established
relationships with many center-based school programs in Southeastern
Michigan and performs on-site problem-solving school clinics at these
sites. We welcome collaboration with a child’s school professionals and
welcome their input to help us devise collaborative working goals.
Support Services
SibShop
Recreational support groups for teens, school-age, and preschool children who have brothers or sisters with a disability.
Mom's Support
Emotional support and education for mothers of children with special healthcare needs. Meetings are 4th Tuesday of every month.
Spectrum Support
Monthly support group for parents and caregivers of children on
the autism spectrum. Group support, emotional support, educational
presentations, and friendship. Every third Wednesday at the Center for
Clinical Learning, Ste 100.
Teen Advocacy Group
Young adults with disabilities meet one Saturday per month from 1 - 3:30 p.m.
at the Oakwood Family Center, to learn to self-advocate and are
empowered to impact the community and their own lives.
Teenage Girl's Night Out
A fun night out on the town for teens with disabilities
Teenage Boy's Night Out
A fun night out on the town for teens with disabilities
Birthday Party
Our patients are invited to a birthday party experience once per year
Financial Seminars
To assist parents in planning for theirs and their child's
financial future, including resources to help plan for life's
transitions and financial struggles
School Advocacy
Medical Clinic support in school settings to collaborate and
problem-solve with school professionals health and developmental issues,
allowing children to better meet their potential in the school setting
Cool Kids Camp
Saturday camp for children dealing with addiction in the family.
TIPS Series
Taking interest in parents of children with special needs is an
educational speakers series training parents in selected caregiver
skills and addressing current topics. Held quarterly.
Therapy Services
Some of the best physical, occupational, and
speech-language therapists are right in your backyard at the Center for
Exceptional Families.
It’s not often that a community hospital can devote therapists only to
the care of children with special needs. Oakwood Healthcare System has
done just that at the Center for Exceptional Families with our pediatric
rehabilitation team. For two years running, 96% of our families have
reported that they would refer friends and family to the Center for
Exceptional Families for therapy (…the other 4% report that they don’t
know any other children with special needs).
Therapists at the Center for Exceptional Families treat all children
with special needs, from birth to adulthood, from the most mild
developmental delays to complex medical, neuromuscular, orthopedic,
cognitive, congenital, and developmental challenges. Our therapists
partner with parents, whether parents know nothing at all about child
development, or are the most savvy of parents, to increase a child’s
success, independence, and ease of day-to-day life at home, school and
in the community.
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy - it’s not all mechanics! The physical therapists at
CEF have dedicated their hearts and careers to helping children with
special needs live fuller and more independent lives. Being housed in
the Center for Exceptional Families allows our physical therapists to
provide services for all of a child’s PT needs, including 1) work
closely with the medical, therapy, and psychosocial teams, 2) interact
on a daily basis, on site, with orthotics and durable medical equipment
specialists, 3) help families acquire all of the equipment and
assistance that they need to ensure their child’s success in therapy.
Therapy at CEF is not your typical ‘institutionalized’ rehabilitative
care, but rather, takes place in realistic environments, involving and
training caregivers to lift and transfer, ambulate, play, and perform
daily activities, including training kids on all types of terrain and in
a variety of ‘fun’ctional settings and adaptive recreation. Our goals
are always designed and shared with parents, with a focus on transitions
from therapy to the community, whether transitioning to a clearly laid
out home exercise routine that will reduce contractures and pain, or
transitioning to adapted or mainstream recreation, school or vocational
environment.
The Center for Exceptional Families is a center of excellence in
physical therapy. Recently we have added serial casting capabilities for
children with orthopedic and/or functional joint fixation. You won't find us treating typical
sports medicine injuries – we like to maintain availability for children
who need comprehensive physical therapy, for kids who have big goals,
big steps to take, and need a PT who sees the ‘big picture.’
- orthopedic injuries
- balance training
- neuromuscular retraining
- gait training
- strengthening
- stretching
- splinting
- torticollis
- kinesio taping
- myofascial release - soft tissue techniques
- serial casting
- equipment evaluation and training
Occupational Therapy
Another ‘touchy-feely’ bunch at the Center for Exceptional Families is
our Occupational Therapy team. Our OTs work with durable medical
equipment and orthotics providers to help families obtain adaptive
equipment, and consult regarding home equipment and daily needs. These
are the therapists you sit down with to problem-solve your child’s
adaptive and functional daily needs. We have certified Handwriting
Without Tears therapists to help your kids get school-ready. Our new
Rotunda facility allows O.T.s not only the opportunity to provide
traditional developmental therapy, exercise, self-care, fine motor, and
sensory integration skills, but to do so in an environment that includes
a training kitchen and training bathroom, laundry, outdoor facilities,
and an equipped sensory gym.
- balance and coordination
- community safety
- driving rehab/training
- fine motor skills
- handwriting without tears
- mobility
- self-care: including dressing, feeding, hygiene, toileting
- sensory integration
- splinting
- transfers/lifting
- UE strengthening and ROM
- visual-perceptual skills
- certified hand therapist
Speech-Language Pathology
Parents of kids with special needs, particularly those children who are
nonverbal, often ask us how a speech therapist can help their child. Our
reply, "how can we not?" A speech therapist never helped a child by
focusing on what they ‘can’t do’ or can’t communicate, but rather by
building on hidden or under-recognized communicative strengths and
motivations. We look forward to identifying and building upon
communication through behavioral training, gesture, augmentative and
alternative communication, and assistive technology. Our SLPs have a
wide range of expertise, and we treat all children with speech and
language delays from the most mild of ‘late talkers,’ speech-language
delays, motor speech disorders, apraxia of speech, as well as kids who
challenge us all to be a little more inventive and open to all
possibilities.
- oral and maxillofacial disorders
- articulation and phonology
- pervasive developmental delays including autism
- augmentative and alternative communication
- voice and fluency disorders
- visual and hearing impairment
- social skills training
- auditory processing disorders
- language impairments
- ‘late talkers’
Feeding and Swallowing Therapy
‘Three meals per day plus snacks’ is too many times per day to struggle
with feeding a child! At the Center for Exceptional Families, we know
that a child’s nutrition from birth is a crucial factor in their
neurological and physical development. Like all of our kids’
developmental issues, feeding deserves an entire team’s attention and
early intervention. Our dysphagia team includes speech and occupational
therapists, dietician, pediatrician and developmental pediatrician,
psychosocial team, and involves the child’s entire family. The CEF
dysphagia team services children admitted to, or born at, Oakwood
Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn as well as outpatients from
birth through to adulthood. Whether your child has a neuromuscular
feeding disorder, and may need our video fluoroscopic (x-ray) swallowing
evaluation, clinical swallowing evaluation and treatment, neuromuscular
electrical stimulation of swallowing musculature, ‘picky eater’
strategies, or self-feeding skills, our dysphagia team can help.
- feeding and swallowing
- neuromuscular electrical stimulation treatment for dysphagia
- videofluoroscopic swallow studies
- swallowing evaluations for tracheostomy "blue dye" swallow studies
Recreational and Private Pay Therapies
While some pediatric rehabilitation facilities are closing their doors
to children as a result of the ever-growing challenges with insurance
reimbursement for therapy, the Center for Exceptional Families Pediatric
Rehabilitation Team is working hard to raise philanthropic funds and
find creative ways to ensure children get the therapy they need to lead
lives as fully and independently as possible. We offer private pay
options for families without insurance benefits, or for those who choose
to pay privately rather than deal with exorbitant co-pays and
deductibles. The same clinical rehabilitation specialists as our
individual and insurance-based therapies guide, with the same expertise,
our recreational therapies. We strive to find the most affordable ways
to access these services for families. Please review some of our private
pay options and exciting recreational therapy group activities.
Spasticity Treatments
The goal of Beaumont's Center for Exceptional Families rehabilitation program is to enhance the quality of life for children with disabilities. We aim to make the most of the child’s potential - both during childhood and later, as an adult. Managing spasticity is one part of our comprehensive pediatric rehabilitation department.
What is Spasticity?
Spasticity is a condition in which some muscles are continuously contracted (shortened and tightened) – causing stiff muscles, awkward movements, and exaggerated reflexes. Spasticity happens when a brain or spinal cord injury damages the nerve signals that tell a muscle to relax. Spasticity may also occur with conditions such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury.
The degree of spasticity can vary from mild muscle stiffness to severe, painful, and uncontrollable muscle spasms. Spasticity can affect a child’s comfort level and movement, making it difficult to do activities such as sitting, eating, standing, dressing, and walking. Spasticity can also cause contractures, which are fixed, abnormal joint positions that may lead to deformity or the inability to move the related body part.
In addition to spasticity, children with brain or spinal cord injuries may also experience other neurologic (nerve–related) conditions, such as weakness and poor coordination. These other conditions may actually be more disabling than spasticity. Reducing the spasticity may be helpful in these situations, but does not “cure” the condition. In some cases, some spasticity in the legs may help a child stand.
Finally, it is important to note that there are
several disorders, other than spasticity, that can cause stiff muscles.
Two examples are: dystonia, which may lead to a fixed, abnormal posture;
and athetosis, which may lead to uncontrolled movements. Management
plans for these conditions will differ from management plans for
spasticity.
Things to consider for a spasticity management plan
When making a plan to manage your child’s spasticity at CEF (Center for
Exceptional Families), we consider many factors. These factors include:
- Your child’s ability to function in daily life
- The extent (and location) of the spasticity
- Your child’s age and development level
- The condition causing the spasticity
- Other disorders of muscle tone and movement
- The strength of your child’s muscles
- You and your child’s preferences
One
spasticity management plan may be best for a child at a young age,
while another plan may be better for an older child. Some children may
benefit from only one treatment option, while others may benefit from
combining two or more. For example, if a child takes medicine to reduce
spasticity, physical or occupational therapy may help the child learn
how to function with less spasticity.
It is also essential to have a goal! Before
recommending any management plan, the care team develops personalized
goals for each child. Goals may include:
- Improving hand use
- Improving walking skills
- Improving comfort, ease of care, and positioning
- Preventing muscle contractures and deformities
Spasticity management options
Spasticity can be managed in many ways – ranging from simpler methods
such as stretching, bracing and positioning, and use of oral
medications, to intramuscular injections and surgical procedures. Using
medicines may be helpful when spasticity happens in many parts of a
child’s body. In children with cerebral palsy, tendon lengthening
surgical procedures are a common form of management. Recently, muscular
injections and new surgical methods are being used effectively.