MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine Children’s announced today (May 7) plans to open a Neurodevelopmental Center (NDC) in late summer to evaluate and treat children with a wide variety of neurodevelopmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disorders, and Tourette Syndrome.
“As the demand for neurodevelopmental services has continued to grow, we have decided that the time has come for us to take real, concrete steps in providing this type of care for the kids who need it,” Albert Wright, president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, said. “No parents should have to travel great distances or leave their home states to find care for their children. That is why this Neurodevelopmental Center is of critical importance – so that the children and families who need these types of services can find them right here at home.”
The Center, which will be located on Baker’s Ridge Road, will be a multidisciplinary center providing diagnostic and medical management and outpatient therapy services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and intensive applied behavioral analysis therapy.
The intensive Autism Service Delivery (iASD) clinic, currently housed within the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities on Hartman Run Road in Morgantown, will move into the NDC and will be expanded. Susannah Poe, Ed.D., autism project director at the Center for Excellence in Disabilities, will join the NDC as director of applied behavioral analysis services.
“As part of WVU Medicine Children’s, we are very excited to not only continue to provide diagnostic and medical care to our pediatric patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities in the state of West Virginia and our surrounding states, but to expand those services to include pediatric-specific therapy services, including intensive applied behavioral analysis therapy for our patients with autism spectrum disorders,” Jodi Lindsey, M.D., pediatric neurologist, neurodevelopmental disabilities specialist, and medical director of the NDC, said.
“We look forward to providing multidisciplinary care for these patients as well as a long-term goal of enhancing our education of pediatric-specific providers to continue to provide care and therapy for these patients throughout the state. We also look forward to collaborating with our partners in the community, including the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities, who are already providing excellent care and resources for our patients.”
In addition to Drs. Lindsey and Poe, NDC staff will also include Jenna Wallace, Psy.D., pediatric psychologist, and Victoria Lancaster, P.P.C.N.P.-B.C., nurse practitioner. Bruce McKee will serve as director of therapy services.
“Due to the increasing diagnosis of neurodevelopmental issues, such as autism, there is an escalating need for diagnostic and management services for these conditions,” J. Philip Saul, M.D., executive vice president of WVU Medicine Children’s, said. “WVU Medicine Children’s is filling the need with a significant expansion of our neurodevelopmental capacity in this new Center.”