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When people with extraordinary talent and passion are given the technology, the facilities, and the support, they achieve great things. The discoveries and innovations happening today will help shape the future of treatments and lead to cures. And it benefits not only the patients and families who come to Children’s of Alabama, but people across the country and around the world for years to come.

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EARLY DIAGNOSIS & EVALUATION

Whether inherited genetically or acquired due to adverse circumstances, one thing is common in learning disabilities, early identification and intervention is crucial to future success, Belcher says. The Adoption Clinic and Alabama Game Changers collaborate frequently with these children.

“We are on a mission to identify these kids as soon as any red flag is seen,” Belcher says. “We know that the most successful intervention is one that takes a neurodevelopmental, trauma and attachment informed approach.

“Because the state child welfare system can be pretty complex and the educational system can be pretty complex, and the family court system can be pretty complex, instead of asking our foster parents to learn those systems and learn how to maximize those systems, our social workers can act as a buffer between that family and those really complex and complicated systems,” Marshall says. Oftentimes they are able to leverage the systems that exist to get the maximum amount of resources available to the child.”

The social workers know how to ask for things because they have done it so much, adds, whereas a parent can get overwhelmed pretty quickly. So if there is an IEP meeting, the ABCH social worker may be in attendance with the foster parent. They know what services the child is entitled to and can advocate to ensure that the child is getting all the services that they need. They are a tremendous resource in navigating a path for these at-risk children, Marshall explains.

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. Birmingham has multiple organizations who understand the complex needs of children of adoption and foster care. There is a beautiful collaboration among Alabama Game Changers, The Adoption Clinic and the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home to recognize needs early, initiate interventions\services and to be strong advocates for these children, according to their leaders.

SAVE THE DATE – May 19, 2023!

AGC will host a fundraising concern featuring well-known Alabama singer and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks at 7 p.m. on May 19, 2023 at the Wright Center at Samford University. Learn about how to buy tickets to help make services available to all children at...

https://alabamagamechangers.org/agc/.

“If an initial cursory screening (often completed at another clinic or organization) is indicative of a problem then we will want to complete an evaluation to determine the extent of the deficits. Once we know where the problems are, we get busy implementing an intervention strategy that is also trauma-friendly because we know this is more than just a reading issue. The child must be considered with all that he/she has experienced in life up until now. We work to overcome anxiety, teach self-regulation, build coping skills in addition to addressing the developmental reading and learning deficits,” Belcher explains.

Who This Affects

There is no shortage of at-risk children in the state of Alabama. According to Rod Marshall, Chief Partnership Officer for Alabama Baptist Children’s Home (ABCH), there are currently 6,000 children in the foster care system. The average stay in foster care is 6-9 months, he says. The goal of fostering is to reunite families.

“About 90 percent [of foster children] will be reunited with their family or relatives” says Marshall. In the meantime, their social workers are very active in supporting the foster family. They have contact at least twice a month and a in-home visit at least once a month, sometimes more often if needed, Marshall explains.