Programs

Sibshops Program

Achieve is proud to sponsor and host the Sibshop program in Charlotte, NC. Sibshops provide brothers and sisters of children with special needs an opportunity to meet other siblings in a relaxed, recreational setting. The siblings have opportunities to discuss common joys and challenges with other siblings of children with special needs.  They learn how to handle situations commonly experienced by siblings of special needs children  and learn more about their siblings special needs. The Sibshop activities are full of fun, entertainment and good friends! To find out more about the Sibshop program and schedule, contact Achieve at (704)708-8314.  

Feeding Program

Many children are described as “picky” eaters by their parents or caregivers. It is when this “pickiness” hinders the growth and development or overall function of mealtime that a diagnosis of feeding aversion is typically made. This diagnosis may appear as oral aversion, texture aversion or failure to thrive depending on the severity of the problem. In some cases, children are not able to sustain adequate nutrition and a feeding tube must be inserted, however, the majority of children will eat a limited inventory of foods and are able to maintain weight and nutrition. Characteristics of feeding aversion may include one or all of the following:

• Frequent gagging
• Vomiting while eating
• Spitting food out
• Pocketing food inside the mouth
• Delayed swallow trigger
• Excessive chewing
• Increased time to finish a meal
• Refusal of food upon sight
• Tantrums at mealtime

These characteristics and behaviors are typically caused by an improper balance of sensory processing causing the child to be hypersensitive or hyposensitive to the texture of food. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s eating behaviors, please contact Achieve at (704)708-8314 for further information about our feeding programs.  

Parent Training Program

Parents so often ask us, “Am I doing what I need to be doing to help my child be successful?” Most often, the answer to that question is YES but as parents, we need to know exactly what it is that we are doing successfully so that we can do more! With today’s schedules, we have so little quality time with our children, we want to be sure we are maximizing our time together. Believe it or not, quality time with our children does not even remotely involve flashcards or drilling information into our child!

 So, how can you know that you are helping your child reach their maximum potential? At Achieve, we have designed a program that will help you identify your parenting style and strengths as well as your child’s learning style and strengths. Once you recognize those strengths, you can easily implement simple strategies at home to enhance your child’s development.

What to expect at your consultation:

• Appropriate for children 1 year to 5 years of age and one or both parents
• Each consultation lasts for 1 hour. The speech-language pathologist will speak with you briefly on the phone prior to the initial meeting in order to plan the session to meet your needs. Some situations may require several sessions for full benefit and the clinician will make her recommendations after the initial phone consultation.
• Parents and child will meet with a certified speech-language pathologist to review your child’s overall development and discuss your goals for your child.
• Parents will be videotaped while playing and interacting with their child. The videotape will be reviewed by the parents and the speech pathologist. The speech pathologist will give you specific feedback on your interaction strengths and assist you with setting goals for you and your child that will help your child develop to the best of his or her ability.
• These sessions would benefit typically developing children as well as children with special needs.