DEVELOPMENTAL CONNECTIONS:  ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Other Unspecified Developmental Delays/Challenges

We recently had the good fortune to partner with licensed psychologists Dr. Jessica Costosa-Umina and Dr. Jennifer Duncan-Olson and pediatrician, Dr. Monica Jones. Dr. Costosa-Umina maintains a private practice and came to us when Connections put out the call for licensed psychologists to join our team.  Dr. Costosa-Umina received a Masters in Education in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology from Temple University.  She is experienced in diagnosing and treating children with autism, ADHD and other developmental challenges.  

Dr. Duncan-Olson works in a day treatment program in Onondaga County, graduated from University of Connecticutwith a BA in Psychology and from University of Buffalo with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology.  She works diagnosing and treating children with developmental challenges.  

Dr. Monica Jones is a local pediatrician you may be familiar with who responded favorably to a letter sent to all pediatricians by Connections asking to be part of a "Developmental Connections" team.  We were delighted by her favorable response and recognition of this growing need in our community.  We have all met a number of times to craft and coordinate our vision.  A major part of our vision is to develop a resource manual for parents to find support not just from their local Early Intervention program, school district and subsequent professionals but to readily find community support.  

Our mission and model for Developmental Connections will be to assess all areas of current development across domains, contact any providers of services (preschool teachers/daycare providers) and then team around a family to provide pertinent diagnosis and resources for families.  We realize  some families may be seeking only the "Developmental" portion of the evaluation with our licensed psychologists but professionally, we are unable to provide this stand-alone evaluation.  It is our strong belief that using a "team" approach will allow the family to have a hands-on, 360 degree look at all aspects of development pertinent to any possible diagnosis.  We are designing "Developmental Connections" as something we would want to walk through as a caregiver and as a child.  

No two children are alike.  At Connections, you won't find a "cookie-cutter" approach to therapy for kids with developmental challenges.  Together, we can support your child as he strives to accomplish the goal of becoming better able to demonstrate his/her strengths.  Our staff have received training in a variety of research-supported therpapy programs including  D.I.R./"Floortime", P.E.C.s and A.B.A.  We see you as the "coach" and your child as the "star player" and we'll join with you as "team member" to best meet your child's individual needs. 

Multidisciplinary service including:

• speech langauge therapy
• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• special teacher services

On-staff expertise in:

• Feeding and Swallowing difficulties
• Sensory Integration Disorder
• Naturalistic, Play-Based therapy
• Fluency Disorders
• Motor Delays/Disorders