ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 072

The Importance of Early Intervention with Kindering CEO Lisa Greenwald

Early intervention or birth to three are the vital services kids can receive in the beginning of their diagnosis journey. Dr. Lisa Greenwald is the CEO of Kindering, a licensed language and speech pathologist, holds a PHD in communication science and disorders and an executive certificate in non-profit leadership. She's answering all the questions you may have about early intervention and how to access it.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Can you share what Kindering is?

Kindering is a non-profit neurodevelopmental center and we offer a variety of programs, including birth to three early intervention which supports infants and toddlers who may have missed developmental milestones or who have a new diagnosis. About 85% of the brain's growth happens in the first three years of life, so early intervention is impactful and can make a big life-long difference. We will also provide a developmental evaluation for any family that has concerns or questions and a doctor's referral is not needed. 

How did you get involved with Kindering and what drew you to the field?

I started out as a speech therapist working with adults and was interested in communication in general. In the efforts of making a difference early on and focusing on the brain's plasticity at a younger age, I worked my way down to birth to three age. My own child benefited from Kindering services and school special education services. Through his connection with Kindering and how he's benefited has been a key part of why I'm here, the perspective I have and why I want to be there for the kids and families that need us. 

What roadblocks do you see in early intervention right now?

During the pandemic, people stopped going to well child visits, which is where developmental screening happens in our system of care. Families are challenged to realize they can benefit from services without the developmental screening. 

How can people outside of the Seattle area use The Fathers Network and Sibshops as a resource?

The Washington State Fathers Network is a network of dads experiencing the journey of raising a child with special needs who can benefit from peer-to-peer networking and support. They have chapters that meet locally for different events and to share resources and information. Emily Holl runs the sibling support program and travels all over the world teaching communities how to offer sibshops. Sibshops specifically supports the siblings of children with disabilities and they're fun, lively workshops to network and have fun.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED

The Rare Disease Truth #rarediseasetruth

https://twitter.com/hashtag/RareDiseaseTruth

Kindering

https://kindering.org/

Kindering tele-evaluation overview

https://kindering.org/portfolio-items/developmental-evaluations/

Washington State Fathers Network

https://fathersnetwork.org/ 

Sibshops

https://siblingsupport.org/sibshops/

Kindering Virtual Play Pass

https://kindering.org/portfolio-items/play-pass/

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