BOYER CHILDRENS CLINIC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : m**********t@b*****c.o*g
Mission Statement
Boyer is committed to improving the quality of life for children with neuromuscular disorders or other developmental delays by providing the best solutions for each child and their family. We provide therapy, education, medical consultation and outreach, social work and family support for Greater Seattle-area infants and children year-round. Boyer’s service delivery is grounded in evidence-based programs that increases parent, caregiver and childcare provider understanding of early childhood development to help each child and family reach their full potential.
About This Cause
Background: Boyer was created by a grassroots group of doctors, parents and volunteers in 1942 to provide special services for children with cerebral palsy, and since then has grown to serve children with a variety of disabilities and developmental delays. In the 1950s, Boyer promoted acceptance of children with cerebral palsy in the public schools. In the 1970s, Boyer trained doctors to identify infants with delays at an early age so they could benefit from early intervention. Today, Boyer is the largest early intervention provider in Greater Seattle for infants and toddlers with special needs. Mission: Boyer’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children with neuromuscular disorders or other developmental delays by providing the best solutions for each child and family. The progress of each child is promoted through high-quality, comprehensive and evidence-based services while the child is still in the most critical stage of development—during the first few years of life. Boyer is also committed to helping parents form strong, nurturing relationships with their child and to equip parents with the tools to become their child’s lifelong advocate. Location: Boyer serves children and their families residing in Seattle and King County broadly; currently, Boyer serves 13% of all young children with special healthcare needs in King County. In 2012, Boyer began providing services on Vashon Island because no other King County providers were able to absorb this area of need. Over the next two years, Boyer plans to expand services in Seattle to respond to an increase in referrals from underserved areas throughout the city. Need: Early intervention services are designed to mitigate the challenges faced by children with special needs and improve their level of functioning. Age birth to five is the most influential time in a child’s development when 90% of all neurological pathways in a child’s brain are created. Successful interventions, which involve parents and caregivers in delivering effective support and treatment, help children with disabilities avoid falling behind in their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development before kindergarten. The further behind children are when entering school, the more difficult it will be for them to catch up, and the lower the likelihood they will reach their full potential as adults. This is particularly true for children with developmental disabilities. Further, children with developmental delays who live in low-income or high-risk communities often have limited access to the right treatment programs, thus placing them further behind their peers at this crucial developmental stage. Equally as important at this stage in development are the early relationships that are formed between parent and child. It is common for families of children with disabilities and developmental delays to experience feelings of grief and lack of acceptance. In addition, because delays can impede parent-child bonding, children with developmental challenges are at greater risk for abuse and neglect. Fortunately, children enrolled in programs like Boyer, which involve parents and caregivers in delivering effective treatment, see their emotional, social, and behavioral skills increased. Furthermore, Boyer’s services help parents increase their knowledge of their child's developmental issues, improve their ability to enhance their child's daily living skills, and strengthen the bond between parent and child. Early investment in intervention services have shown to yield positive returns on investment, and decrease the likelihood of dependence on public systems. A 2005 RAND research study of the cost effectiveness of early intervention services concluded that there were stronger impacts on program outcomes when nurses were used as home visitors, rather than paraprofessionals. The emphasis on highly trained professionals to provide targeted services as appropriate for each individual child is critical to ensure their individual disabilities and special needs are met with the highest quality professionals. The study also found that early interventions have been found to generate a return to society ranging from $1.80 to $17.07 for each dollar spent on the program. Recognizing these cost benefits, Boyer Children’s Clinic ensures each dollar spent on early intervention services is maximized to obtain the best possible outcomes for each child and family served. Services: To address the critical need for early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities, Boyer provides comprehensive, wrap-around services for the child and his/her family. These services include therapy (occupational, physical, and speech/language therapy both in in the home or childcare setting); early childhood special education (both one-on-one and in classroom settings); medical consultation and nursing services; as well as social work and family support services. Impact: Over the past 70 years, Boyer has benefited thousands of children and their families, and this success continues today. Our most recent results are as follows: 98% of children receiving services made improvements in their functional daily living skills; 98% of families reported that they had improved their parenting skills and strategies for their child’s special needs during their time at Boyer; and 42% of children exiting Boyer do not require further special education or related services, compared to a 27% average among all similar providers in King County. With the help of highly trained professionals at Boyer, children learn how to utilize the components of the brain that are essential to their natural development, giving them a crucial boost during the time when they are most ready and able to learn. In addition, after participating in Boyer’s comprehensive program, parents have greater knowledge about what to expect from their child and of the goals he or she can attain. The effective therapies, medical treatments, and skill-building programs at Boyer give young children the best possible chance to minimize the effects of their challenges, to reach their maximum potential, and to enjoy happy and fulfilling lives. Success Stories: Watch our graduates play and sing, our parents discuss their experience of raising a child with special needs, and our supporters say why they love Boyer. http://www.youtube.com/user/BoyerChildrensClinic You can also learn more about how our services help the children and families at Boyer by reading success stories on our website. http://www.boyercc.org/what-we-do/success-stories.aspx