Center for Children with Special Needs

Our developmental-behavioral specialists take a broad view of your child during this evaluation. It usually takes 2 to 3 visits, each lasting about 1 hour. 

• We will review all documentation you provide, such as intake materials you complete prior to the visit, testing done by other specialties, testing done by early intervention or school, Individualized Education Program (IEP) and whatever else you think will be useful for us to consider.
• We will interview you (the grown-up) to learn about your child’s developmental skills and needs.
• We will also conduct a physical and neurological examination of your child, plus a developmental assessment.

We'll meet with you to share the results of our assessment and discuss treatment options. Treatment might include clinical services at our center or elsewhere, and sometimes, we might suggest medication. 

We'll give you a written report with recommendations for your child's medical, developmental and behavioral needs. You can share this report with your child's doctors, school and other caregivers.

Sometimes, we might suggest medication. You can share this report with your child's doctors, school and other caregivers.

We can assess if your child’s language skills are at age level. A speech language pathologist can recommend improving your child’s language skills when they are not at age level. This evaluation takes about 3 hours to complete and looks at some or all of the following:

• A review of your child’s evaluations completed elsewhere
• A review of your child’s IEP
• An evaluation of your child’s understanding and ability to use language (vocabulary, grammar and social skills) compared to same-age peers. The evaluation may also include assessing your child's speech production, voice or fluency skills.

A written report that describes your child’s language performance will be provided. It recommends how other healthcare professionals and school teams can help improve your child’s speech and language skills.

The speech language pathologist who conducts this testing typically only provides recommendations and a report. If your child will benefit from speech therapy, we can help you establish care with someone convenient for you. Sometimes, retesting can be useful to monitor progress and update recommendations, which can happen annually or every couple of years.

Putting on the Breaks
Patricia Quinn, MD and Judith Stern, MA
A simple explanation and overview of ADHD for children ages 8-12. Putting on the Breaks explores the feelings and emotions of children with ADHD and offers strategies for overcoming obstacles associated with the disorder. Ages 8-12.

The Putting on the Breaks Activity Book
Patricia Quinn, MD and Judith Stern, MA
An activity book to accompany Putting on the Breaks. Ages 8-13.

Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention, 3rd Edition
Kathleen Nadeau and Ellen Dixon
A book that explains ADHD to children ages 6-12. Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention provides checklists and activities for children with ADHD.

The Adventures of Phoebe Flower Books
Barbara Roberts
A collection of stories about Phoebe, a young girl with ADHD and her adventures. Children gain self-esteem through Phoebe’s interactions with her peers and her success in dealing with her ADHD and explaining her disorder to others. Ages 4-8.

The Survival Guide for Kids with LD: Learning Differences
Gary Fisher, PhD, and Rhoda Cummings, EdD
Tips for children 8+ for overcoming the challenges of their learning differences. This book affirms the intelligence and ability of children with LD to learn while providing helpful strategies for success. Ages 8+.

The Don’t-Give-Up Kid and Learning Differences
Jeanne Gehret, MA
It is the story of a child overcoming the obstacles of his learning differences. This uplifting book speaks compassionately to elementary school children, boosting their egos and sending the message that success is possible. Age: elementary school.

Many Ways to Learn: Young People’s Guide to Learning Disabilities
Judith Stern, MA and Uzi Ben-Ami, PhD
This book provides descriptions of different Learning Disabilities and strategies for coping including how to succeed in school and how to do well on tests. First-person accounts reassure children that others are dealing with the same challenges as theirs. Ages 8-13.

All Kinds of Minds: A Young Student’s Book about Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders
Dr. Mel Levine
Using the stories of 5 different children, this book helps Elementary School kids to understand their learning differences. Children gain self-esteem as they learn that there are other children like them. Ages: elementary school.

Eagle Eyes: A Child’s Guide to Paying Attention
Jeanne Gehret, MA
This story of a young boy illustrates the natural gifts of children with learning differences and ADHD, demonstrating strategies for coping with the obstacles that these children might encounter. Ages: elementary school.

Color Me Successful
The Lab School of Washington
Sally L. Smith, Founder/Director
A unique coloring book with each page focusing on a different well-known role model that has had great success despite a learning difference. All ages.

Keeping A Head in School: A Student's Book about Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders
Dr. Mel Levine
This book is useful for middle school students, teachers and parents. It teaches strategies for success in school for children with learning disorders.

I’m Somebody Too
Jeanne Gehret, MA
Geared toward the siblings of children with learning differences, this is the story of a young girl overcoming the challenges of having a brother with a learning difference. Her initial worry, guilt and jealousy disappear when she learns to cope with and help her brother. Ages: 4-8.

• LD Online: A recommended web site on learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and other professionals, including links to helpful articles for kids.
• Partners in Education: It is essential that parents understand the special education system. The Partners in Education course is a 3-hour online self-study course for parents of children with disabilities, designed to teach the skills parents need to advocate for their children.
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY): Information on developmental and learning problems such as Learning and Reading Disabilities.
• Federation for Children with Special Needs: A center for parents and parent organizations working together on behalf of children with special needs and their families. Parent information and workshops include basic rights, and IEP and other special education issues throughout Massachusetts.
• Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read (PDF): A National Institute of Child Health and Human Development publication for parents that recommends and describes methods and activities for early literacy.
• National Center for Learning Disabilities: A website for parents of children with learning disabilities. This site provides helpful links and information regarding early literacy and literacy assessment including literacy games for children and resources for parents through the getreadytoread.org website.
• WETA Learning Media Yellow Pages: A directory of resources for children with LD including schools, centers, professionals and products.

• Learning Disabilities Worldwide (LDW): A website with resources for both parents and children providing LD information, publications, videos and organization and study strategies to foster academic success. This site is also an excellent local resource for high school and college students
• Reading Rockets: A website for families on reading and learning that includes strategies for children learning to read, and tips for helping children learn to read. Reading Rockets is a website that works with PBS literacy television programs.
• All Kinds of Minds: This website highlights work by Dr. Mel Levine and has information on various neurodevelopmental and educational issues with specific, targeted recommendations for parents and teachers.
• Schwab Learning: Schwab Learning is dedicated to helping kids with learning differences be successful in learning and life.
  • For caregivers: www.SchwabLearning.org – “A Parent’s Guide to Helping Kids with Learning Difficulties”
  • For kids: www.sparktop.org – A Schwab Learning site just for kids with educational games and activities.

• Autism
• ADHD medicines
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• Dyslexia
• Learning problems
• Hyperactivity
• Kids with special needs

Your insurance coverage depends on a variety of factors. However, we have found the following services are typically covered by most plans: 

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric evaluation

Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics services are considered medical services and are covered by almost all insurance plans.

Speech-language evaluation

Most insurance plans cover the costs of a speech-language evaluation. Sometimes, you can ask your child’s school district to cover part or all of the speech-language evaluation costs.

We also have financial counselors available to help identify resources that are available to you.

You can request an Independent Educational Evaluation from our center. If approved by your child’s school, the costs are shared between you and the school.  

The Center for Children with Special Needs is in an acute hospital setting. Because of this, the Division of Health Care, Finance and Policy for Hospital Outpatient Services negotiates our rates.

For information regarding our rate-setting fee, please email sandra.m.pelton@tuftsmedicine.org. Our administrative coordinator will provide you with our current rate-setting fee and a contract for the services you want to approve. 

To get started, you must provide us a contract for services (stating exactly what types of evaluations will be approved) signed and dated by your child's school system, or we need a letter from the school system stating what types of evaluations will be approved using our rate-setting fee. Please email sandra.m.pelton@tuftsmedicine.org with any questions.