Infant Development Team

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Pittsfield, MA
Infant Development Team

We empower caregivers to support their children through speech, feeding, and physical therapy.

Infant Development Team takes a unique collaborative approach to virtual outpatient services. We believe in a child-led, family-centered approach that supports families in meeting their child’s motor, speech, language, and feeding goals.

05/12/2023

With this evolution of play comes a new way to engage with their world by using and expanding their cognitive, social-emotional, communication, adaptive, and physical skills. Their curiosity and desire for exploration leads to rich learning experiences.

Interested in learning more about what developmental milestones to expect by age during playtime in the first 3 years of life? Contact us! We’d love to hear from you 🤍

03/24/2023

Self-care in the first year primarily includes dressing and diapering activities. Because your child relies on you for most self-care skills in the first year and these activities happen often, this daily routine is one that provides many opportunities for interaction and engagement with your child. As you and your child work together, your child is exposed to opportunities for growth in cognitive, adaptive, communication, social emotional, and physical skills.

Diaper changes are so much more than just a daily living task; when your baby is reaching for the wipes they're physically trying to roll over to get closer to the wipes, they're looking for a social reaction from you, they're communicating what they want, they're remembering where an item is when you try to hide it, and they're trying to exercise their independence.

Interested in more info on how to enrich your family's diaper changes and dressing routines? Reach out and book an educational visit with our SLP and/or PT to discuss your dressing/diapering routines. We'd love to share our full Developmental Milestones: Sleep, Dressing, Mealtime, and Playtime handouts which includes what to expect, how to enrich your routine, and when to refer for more support.

References:
CDC’s Developmental Milestones. (2022, December 29). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Child Development Guide & Milestones. (2021, May). Children’s Hospital of Orange County. https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages
Max Hirshkowitz 1, Kaitlyn Whiton 2, Steven M Albert 3, Cathy Alessi 4, Oliviero Bruni 5, Lydia DonCarlos 6, Nancy Hazen 7, John Herman 8, Paula J Adams Hillard 9, Eliot S Katz 10, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal 11, David N Neubauer 12, Anne E O’Donnell 13, Maurice Ohayon 14, John Peever 15, Robert Rawding 16, Ramesh C Sachdeva 17, Belinda Setters 18, Michael V Vitiello 19, J Catesby Ware 20. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s Updated Sleep Duration Recommendations: Final Report. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004

03/22/2023

Mealtime Milestones of the first year.

Here are some general indicators a referral for more support may be warranted: if at any point in the first 12 months you or your child experience any of the following:
- difficulty growing
- coughing, choking or gagging during feeds
- mealtimes are stressful
- mealtimes take more than 30 minutes
- breastfeeding/chest feeding is painful

Questions? Reach out, we'd love to talk to you!

Looking for more info on how to best support your baby's mealtime routine? Reach out and book an educational visit with our SLP and/or PT to discuss your mealtime routine. We'd love to share our full Developmental Milestones: Sleep, Dressing, Mealtime, and Playtime handouts which includes what to expect, how to enrich your routine, and when to refer for more support.

References:
CDC’s Developmental Milestones. (2022, December 29). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Child Development Guide & Milestones. (2021, May). Children’s Hospital of Orange County. https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages
Max Hirshkowitz 1, Kaitlyn Whiton 2, Steven M Albert 3, Cathy Alessi 4, Oliviero Bruni 5, Lydia DonCarlos 6, Nancy Hazen 7, John Herman 8, Paula J Adams Hillard 9, Eliot S Katz 10, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal 11, David N Neubauer 12, Anne E O’Donnell 13, Maurice Ohayon 14, John Peever 15, Robert Rawding 16, Ramesh C Sachdeva 17, Belinda Setters 18, Michael V Vitiello 19, J Catesby Ware 20. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s Updated Sleep Duration Recommendations: Final Report. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004
Voress, J. K., & Maddox, T. (n.d.). Developmental Assessment of Young Children Developmental Chart.

03/20/2023

These are general guidelines around what to expect from your baby in terms of sleep in the first year of life. If your child is experiencing any of the following you can refer for more support:

- struggling to rouse during daytime
- not sleeping the minimum recommended in 24/hour period
- difficult to calm or spending most wake time crying
- not responding to external stimuli
- not making sounds other than crying
- not reacting to affection
- has days and nights mixed
- struggling with head control, rolling, crawling, sitting, or standing

Questions? Reach out, we'd love to talk to you!

References:
CDC’s Developmental Milestones. (2022, December 29). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Child Development Guide & Milestones. (2021, May). Children’s Hospital of Orange County. https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages
Max Hirshkowitz 1, Kaitlyn Whiton 2, Steven M Albert 3, Cathy Alessi 4, Oliviero Bruni 5, Lydia DonCarlos 6, Nancy Hazen 7, John Herman 8, Paula J Adams Hillard 9, Eliot S Katz 10, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal 11, David N Neubauer 12, Anne E O’Donnell 13, Maurice Ohayon 14, John Peever 15, Robert Rawding 16, Ramesh C Sachdeva 17, Belinda Setters 18, Michael V Vitiello 19, J Catesby Ware 20. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s Updated Sleep Duration Recommendations: Final Report. Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004
Voress, J. K., & Maddox, T. (n.d.). Developmental Assessment of Young Children Developmental Chart.

03/10/2023

Parents and children each play an important role in mealtimes. In the feeding world, this is called the Division of Responsibility. In the division of responsibility, caregivers decide WHEN and WHAT the child will eat, and the child gets to decide IF and HOW MUCH they will eat. This allows caregivers to create the structure for children to thrive and children autonomy and space to eat intuitively.

Have questions? Send us a DM, we’d love to talk to you more.

Read more about Ellyn Satter’s approach here:
https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/how-to-feed/the-division-of-responsibility-in-feeding/

03/07/2023

“Pumpkin, we did it!” These are the words of a caregiver who successfully implemented the coaching model to teach their baby with complex medical needs to roll over. Our PT, Andrea, recalls the beautiful moment she shared with a family when mother and baby accomplished a big milestone together after coaching with Andrea and lots of practice just the two of them.

Moments like this are reminders of how powerful the coaching model can be.

02/17/2023

Here are some of our top philosophies at IDT:

• Collaborative and family centered care: We collaborate across disciplines and with the families that we are supporting. We believe it takes a team to best support a child’s development and your family’s priorities are at the center of our care.

• Ethical and evidence based practices: Our clinicians are constantly reading new literature to best support our practices. We believe that when we know better, we do better.

• Coaching model: Caregiver coaching is an interactive process between a caregiver and a therapist of observing, reflecting, modeling, and practicing new strategies to support child development.

• We celebrate neurological and cultural diversity: We believe differences in our neurological and cultural background are what make each of us unique, and we strive to embrace all neurotypes and cultures.

• Natural environment and daily routines: Research shows that infants and toddlers learn best in their normal routines using their own materials for optimal practice between sessions. We know that no two families are alike, so our goal is to enhance your daily routines in whatever way that looks like to you.

02/15/2023

Our services take place in your child’s natural environment. Each session is unique as our sessions reflect your personal daily routines. We can join you for mealtime and coach you through offering your child new foods or utensils, teaching them how to communicate wants and needs at the table, or how to best position your child for the safest feeding possible. We can go wherever your device can go. We can join you for a play session at the park to support your child in climbing the jungle gym, or join you at the beach to support your child in following directions while in public.

02/13/2023

Our approach consists of three steps:

Step 1. A full developmental assessment including a developmental and medical history in conjunction with your priorities and concerns. A routines-based interview to learn more about how your child’s development impacts their daily life. And a standardized assessment to assist in determining eligibility for services. Finally, we will perform discipline-specific testing based on your child’s individual speech/language, feeding, or motor needs.

Step 2. Our team will write a detailed plan of care for your child. We believe that your priorities are our priorities, and we want this to be reflected in your child’s therapy plan. Together we can make developmentally appropriate and meaningful goals.

Step 3. Your child will be assigned a “primary service provider” — either a physical therapist or a speech-language pathologist. Our team will work in unison to provide your child with the appropriate care. Your child’s primary service provider will coach you on how to best support your child within their natural environment. Whether that is at home, at your childcare center, or at the park, anywhere your device can go within the state, we can support you and your child through virtual therapy. Our goal is to empower you in a way that fits your family’s current lifestyle.

02/06/2023

Our website is live! We’re officially ready to receive referrals and we can’t wait to work with families of infants and toddlers in the state of Massachusetts!

01/29/2023

Meet our team!

Annie Hardy is a Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist & Certified Lactation Counselor

Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from ASHA

Licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration
for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

Annie’s passion for working with the pediatric population started during her time at The College of Wooster where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She then went on to receive her Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology at George Washington University. There, she also received a Certificate in Early Intervention through Georgetown University overlaying her Master’s program. Annie loves working through the lens of the caregiver. She feels most accomplished in her practice when a caregiver leaves feeling more connected and in tune with their child’s needs and wants. She aims to help caregivers build trust with their children and feed them in the most responsive way possible.

01/29/2023

Meet our team!

Andrea Jarvis, is a Pediatric Physical Therapist

Licensed in Physical Therapy in Massachusetts and California

Early Intervention Fidelity Coach Certification

Credentialed Clinical Instructor

Andrea’s love of working with families and children started at Texas Woman’s University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology, followed by her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Andrea has worked in early intervention, clinic, and school settings, giving her experience with all stages of childhood development. She understands how important the foundation of early development is in a child’s life. She is eager to work with families through both the joys and challenges of early childhood, acting as a partner for you in working with your child.

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82 Wendell Avenue , Suite 100
Pittsfield, MA
01201

Website

http://Infantdevelopmentteam.com/

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