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...The number of children across the U.S. with developmental delays and disabilities is rising. Floyd County is no different.
But a fledgling organization based in Rome may be a ray of hope for parents and children coping with the condition. The Op Foundation was started by the husband and wife team of Paul and Joy Walker.
They’re hoping to be a valuable resource for education and awareness that will help local parents and the medical community come together in an effort to learn more about, and hopefully better understand, developmental problems in area children.
A disturbing trend
“We started the Op Foundation because we noticed a disturbing trend in the number of kids with speech delay problems,” said Walker, an Ear, Nose and Throat physician practicing in Rome. “There are so many children with developmental issues and many parents simply don’t know what to do or how to go about getting help. That’s what our goal is, to educate an
Doctors Paul and Joy Walker started the Op Foundation in September to provide a resource for parents, educators and the medical community to learn more about developmental delays and disabilities. |
d assist in that process.”
Spotting the signs Parents often have concerns about their children’s development, especially when they see other children of the same age who have already attained a milestone that their child still hasn’t met, causing them to think that their child is “slow” or “seems behind.”
It is important to keep in mind that for each milestone, there is a range of ages during which a child will normally meet it. For example, some children may walk as early as 11 months, while others may not walk until they are 15 months old.
Developmental milestones are determined by the average age at which children attain each skill.
A developmental delay occurs when a child has the delayed achievement of one or more of his milestones. This may affect the child’s speech and language, fine and gross motor skills, and/or personal and social skills.
A developmental disability, Walker said, occurs when the child does not achieve the developmental milestone at all.
“Parents are the number one advocate for their child,” he said. “Parents know when something isn’t right. But what happens a lot of times is that parents say they’ll wait for a diagnosis before they make the next move and a diagnosis may not come for quite a while. And sometimes the child needs intensive therapy that’s not being performed.”
Goals
The five types of developmental issues, as defined by the government, Walker said, are mental retardation, hearing loss, vision loss, cerebral palsy and autism disorders. Of the five, autism seems to be getting most media coverage because of its staggering numbers. But Walker said the other four need just as much attention.
So the non-profit Op Foundation, started in September 2007, has four major goals. Community awareness is the first, scheduling speaking engagements with various local groups to discuss challenges in the community and Northwest Georgia.
The next focus is continuing education. Walker said they plan to bring in experts in relevant fields to discuss research and strategies that will help families, healthcare providers and educators, as well as provide scholarships for families, teachers and therapists to attend training seminars.
Collaboration is another goal. Partnering with the Autism Society of America and other related organizations, the Op Foundation hopes to coordinate marriage seminars, retreats, camps and work with area churches to deal with all issues related to developmental disorders, not simply the medical condition itself.
Advocacy is also a focus of the organization. Through its Web site, the OP Foundation hopes to be a tool to assist parents, educators and the medical community in learning more about developmental disorders and coordination efforts to help the local community.
Expert advice
The first step toward its Community Education goal is a workshop with board certified behavior analyst Dr. Vincent Carbone in October.
Carbone has over 30 years of experience designing learning environments for persons with autism and developmental disabilities, Walker said. His behavior analytical research has been published in several peer reviewed journals.
“This is going to be an intense three-day workshop for everyone from parents to the medical community,” Walker said. “Dr. Carbone is an expert in this field. I think one of the highlights of his presentation is that he shows video of kids with developmental issues before treatment and then after treatment with a program he has designed. The results are amazing.”
Carbone will present “Teaching Communication Skills to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities” at Berry College’s Science Center Auditorium on Oct. 22 to 24. To register for the workshop, visit www.theopfoundation.com or call 706-346-6346.
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