Developmental Milestones North - Stacie Raglione M.Ed.,I.S.I.S.

I recently taught a class and a student asked the following question: how do you handle when others bash your skills or practice publicly. I responded by telling the story about way back when my partnership began. My partner Suzanne & I did work for J&J corporate ( i am public because the director was public about the issue). The then director hired us to do among many jobs, an assessment of a soon to be 5 year old who had all classic features of ADHD. We evaluated & gave recommendations for home and classroom teaching staff. A month or so later my partner was contacted by the AD requesting us to write recommendations for this child to be dismissed from program and to give a diagnosis of ADHD. We explained 1. we are not physicians so cannot diagnose, 2. We have not seen any changes happen in classroom to positively mediate behavior 3. A child that young should not be given a hard diagnosis until all environmental issues have been addressed and full battery of assessments by a doctorcate conducted 3. Not our job to accept or remove children from their program. If as they profess are truly a developmentally appropriate program then they should use a toolbox of skills to mediate behavior and work with family. Because we refused to comply the director made it her mission (as per her own words) to ensure no other programs would work with us. We knew she bashed us but we stood by our ethics and held our ground. We viewed it from point that if a program didn't use us based on hearsay and not by looking at our record of success then those are programs we don't want to or need to work with. We held true to the tenets of child development & were up front with every program we engaged with that yhe childs best interest is our main goal along with the family. If truly a developmental program they will have no worries or gray areas in supporting optimal child growth. The director took all opportunities to bash us yhrough the years b ut in no way hurt our program. Other directors actually told us what she was doing and used us quietly anyway. You see, she felt she helped us get our practice off the ground so we owed her (as per her own words). After about 20 years she calls me on phone, told me how she bashed us for years then asked me if I would do a free training for her to mend ways. Stunned I politely said no, hung up. Later I heard she lost her position. If you have clear convictions, hold to ethics, and love what you do, you will be fine. For me I only had 2 programs that expressed being dissatisfied with my work and SUPRISE- they are the same parent company. Always remember there are 2 sides to stories, always seek both sides of info and hold true to your beliefs and be ethical. You never go wrong!

I am rendered speechless. Just saw commercial showing a mom changing a babies diaper and she secures her phone above baby head so baby can be entertained. Why not eliminate all opportunity for parental interactions. Parents need to know that the best toy - entertainment is the human face especially a mother and fathers face. A face is ever changing- it emotes feelings and communicates love. Diaper time is prime opportunity to take a few minutes privately with your baby to speak softly to them, show love, let them know through gentle touch their world is secure, massage their legs, belly, anywhere in gentle fashion to provide sensory input with loving touches. When you can provide your baby the best developmental stimulation all in a few minutes why substitute all the good for more disconnected electronic stimulation that is proven to negatively impact a child's growth development and visual acuity. ]

To all my current clients and potential newbies: *Unfortunately I have had to place many programs on a wait list for in person parent as well as staff trainings. If you want to do your training time via zoom I have several available times lots for one or 2 hour blocks. Feel free to call to schedule.
*I am no longer providing child therapies in classroom as I am trying to hold true to being semi retired.
*I am currently scheduling Spring individual infant/ child developmental assessments. If your child is aged 3 to 5 please schedule asap to ensure appropriate preschool or kindergarten placement. Please call for intake and to schedule a time. *Finally, I have recently opened a few more one hour session time slots for Summer. Once these are full a waitlist will be developed on first come basis.
*Thanks for your ongoing support. I am looking forward to a fun interactive summer with your children as well as with your families.

Parents! Know the milestones your child should be acheiving at each age and stage. Do not wait to see if they grow of a problem because we know the younger a child is when receiving help the better chances are of overcoming the difficulty. If your child does NOT have 2 to 5 real words and an array of babbling sounds at 1 year get them checked out, if by 18 months they do not have 20 to 50 real clear words used spontaneously and simple 2 word sentences absolutely grt them assessed. The longer you waut the longer it mat take for them to overcome the problem. Assessments and treatment are free of charge in all 50 states through your local early intervention program, special child health services. Always remember the saying- better safe than sorry!