| People
and Expertise
Family Education and Support Staff: Family Education and
Support services are provided by professionals, called Family
Support Specialists (FSS), who have a minimum of a Bachelor's
Degree in child development, special education, or a related
field. FSS's undergo a rigorous, two-year certification process
required by the State of Montana through which they must demonstrate
competency in areas such as child skills, assessment, family
information gathering, functioning as a team member, developing
and implementing education activities, and other child and
family related skills. FSS's are not therapists, rather they
are professionals skilled in training parents to assist their
child to reach their developmental potential. CDC's Family
Education and Support staff have longevity that ranges up
to 24 years. CDC also has an in-house training specialist
that individually assesses need, designs strategies, and provides
ongoing technical assistance and training to all staff. In
addition, she provides orientation and training to Family
Support Specialists to assist in their certification process.
Her experience working with individuals with developmental
disabilities spans 30 years.
Evaluation and Diagnostic Staff: CDC's evaluation team is
comprised of contracted, licensed professionals including
a psychologist, occupational therapist, speech and language
therapist, physical therapist, and consulting physician. In
addition, Social Workers complete all aspects of information
gathering. CDC's evaluation team have all been specially trained
to provide pediatric services and have been completing developmental
evaluations with children as a team for at least 10 years.
Their vase expertise includes the evaluation and diagnosis
of autism spectrum disorder, cognitive delays, behavioral
disorders, motor delays, sensory processing difficulties,
speech and language delays, and oral motor or feeding problems.
Program Coordinators and Directors: CDC has a Leadership
Team comprised of an Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer,
and three Program Directors. In addition, there are three
Program Coordinators working in conjunction with the Leadership
Team. CDC's Leadership Team and Program Coordinators have
over 125 years of combined experience working with individuals
with developmental disabilities.
Administrative Staff: CDC has administrative staff that have
longevity to span 5 to 17 years. CDC's Respite Program Manager
has years of professional experience which includes state-wide
board representation. She is also a parent and foster parent
of children with developmental disabilities.
Back to About CDC |
