Pediatric VIEW Newsletter Vol. 1

PEDIATRIC VIEW PRACTICE Newsletter

A Message from Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR AT THE CHILDREN’S HOME

In September 2021, I began the work of Pediatric VIEW at a new site, The Children’s Home & Lemieux Family Center. My expectations were high, but my goals were modest I was so grateful to have a place to continue to meet with families and assess children with CVI Beyond that, I had no expectations. But I have learned that the administrators had a different vision for Pediatric VIEW, one that was more far reaching than anything I could have imagined

Pediatric VIEW is now a multi-person program with an administrator and an additional practitioner In January 2022, Traci Ziemkiewicz, OTR/L began her role as the Director of Pediatric VIEW Traci is a talented Occupational Therapist (OT) with specific expertise in feeding. I can say that initially I was seriously confused by her presence For over 30 years I had assistance with scheduling but was otherwise on my own.

If you suspect your child has Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), a CVI Range Assessment can help support a diagnosis, provide insight into your child’s functional vision, and guide your child’s educational team and family to better support the use of vision.

Then along came Traci who was charged with directing me and the greater program, which of course was no small task But Traci has put her arms around our now shared mission to make Pediatric VIEW an asset to families and the greater community. I have learned to trust, rely, and appreciate Traci’s insights and her plans for growth.

One of the goals for Pediatric VIEW is to shorten the wait time for appointments To this end, we found it necessary to hire an additional practitioner. Jonathan Graves joined us in June 2022. He is a TVI (Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired) with the qualifications we sought to deliver direct and remote services to families and school districts He was “hand-picked” from a very short list of individuals who have the knowledge, expertise, and passion required for our mission at Pediatric VIEW.

So now we are three. Last year at this time, I could not have imagined such a thing I must credit Pam Keen, CEO, and Stacy Schesler, COO, for having the foresight I could not have envisioned Pediatric VIEW has new breath and will not just survive, it will thrive. The Children’s Home has long had a reputation of addressing the unmet needs of children who have complicated profiles including those who are impacted by CVI I am grateful for the honor to continue to serve families who seek excellence and opportunity for their children with CVI We will always do our best for you

Christine Roman-Lantzy, Ph.D. Chief Officer / Founder Pediatric VIEW Practice The Children's Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center

Meet Our Pediatric VIEW Team

Dr. Roman-Lantzy, Chief of Pediatric VIEW

Christine Roman-Lantzy, PhD, was raised in Michigan and received degrees in both Elementary Education and Special Education in Visual Impairment at Michigan State University. She worked as an itinerant teacher of the visually impaired in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area for 17 years prior to becoming a Research Assistant in the Vision Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh. While at Pitt, she completed studies in Orientation & Mobility and received a master’s degree in Medically Fragile/High-Risk Infants. Her doctoral studies were also completed at Pitt. Her dissertation, Validation of an Interview Instrument to Identify Behaviors Characteristic of Cortical Visual Impairment in Infants, revealed that caregivers of infants can reliably report regarding the presence or absence of the characteristics of CVI

Christine is a former Project Leader of the CVI Project at The American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, KY. She has lectured extensively regarding the CVI educational materials she has developed She is a nationally renowned researcher and author with published resources including: The CVI Range, an assessment of functional vision, and The CVI Resolution Chart & CVI/O&M Resolution Chart, used to plot and monitor progress. She is also the author of Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention and Cortical Visual Impairment: Advanced Principles

Meet Our Pediatric VIEW Team

Traci Ziemkewicz – Director, Pediatric VIEW

Traci Ziemkewicz brings more than 23 years of experience as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist to The Children’s Home She is a key member of our team and essential to accomplishing the strategic objectives for Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy’s program for infants and children with CVI Traci was previously employed at Nurture Feeding and Communication Support LLC where she spearheaded the Occupational Therapist services program. She also worked at Children’s Hospital Pine Center as the Occupational Therapy Coordinator where she was part of the interdisciplinary team that started the Center for Independence.

As the Pediatric VIEW Program Director, Traci will help grow the Pediatric VIEW program that centers around Dr. RomanLantzy’s research and expertise. She will be a key member of the CVI treatment team providing therapeutic techniques for infants and children with CVI. While Traci joined the CVI team a short time ago, she looks back on the children that she has treated in the past and realizes that, if she had known about CVI the way she does now, she may have had different treatment plans for those kids. Traci provides co-treatment with Dr Roman-Lantzy for CVI infants and children

Meet Our Pediatric VIEW Team

Jonathan Graves, M.Ed., CTVI, CATIS – Practitioner

Jonathan Graves joined our team in August He is renowned for establishing a blindness/low vision clinic program specializing in Cortical Visual Impairment for children ages birth-21, based in Dubai.

Jonathan conducted assessments of vision for children such as the Cortical Visual Impairment Range, Functional Vision Assessment, Assistive Technology, and Interdisciplinary assessments Jonathan provided targeted intervention for CVI based on the child’s CVI Range score and phase then developed CVI schedules and home programming recommendations tailored to the specific needs of each child

Jonathan creates collaborative therapy teams with other therapy disciplines to integrate visual strategies into their sessions He was responsible for developing and delivering a sixweek training on CVI to internal staff and regional professionals and he is knowledgeable about assistive technology. Jonathan is a Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (CTVI) and a Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist (CATIS) from the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals

A Message from PVP

WeareexcitedandencouragedthattheNationalEyeInstitutehasmadeCVI partofitsstrategicinitiativesandwillbespendingmuchneededtimeand resourcestowardtheadvancement,research,andawarenessofCVI While theNEIandscientistscontinuetoworkontheirstrategicplantoaddress CVI,wehereatPediatricVIEWarecommittedtocontinuingourmissionand commitmentto:

CVIEarlyIdentification

Wehaveservicedover200childrensinceourrelocationtoTheChildren’s HomeandLemieuxFamilyCenterinSeptember2021Wehaveheardthe repeatedaccountsofschooldistrictsnotmeetingtheeducationalneedsof childrenwithCVI. Wehavedevelopedawaytocollaborativelyaddressthe educationofachildwithCVIthroughournewSchoolSupportScale. This newprogramhereatPediatricVIEWwillallowourpractitionerstoassess thechild’scurrenteducationalprogram,reviewtheschool'sself-evaluation, andcollaborativelydevelopanactionplantogetallschoolstaffeducated andproficientinmeetingeachCVIstudent’sneeds.

Ourpracticeisgrowing! Welookforwardtocontinuingprovidingservices andsupportthatmeettheneedsofthechildrenandfamiliesweseeevery dayinPediatricVIEW

takeour school support survey

A Parent's Search for School Support

Collaboration: The Key to Success

Emily Marino is the mother of Giulia Marino. Giulia had brain surgery for Rasmussen's encephalitis which is a very rare, chronic inflammatory neurological disease that usually affects only one hemisphere of the brain It most often occurs in children under the age of 10, but can also affect adolescents and adults. Giulia developed CVI as a result of the surgery and Emily has been a true advocate for her daughter, trying to find resources that might help her.

Emily heard about Dr Christine Roman-Lantzy while watching a YouTube video where Dr. Roman-Lantzy’s work was cited. Right away she googled Dr. Roman-Lantzy looking to purchase a copy of one of her books and found that she headed the Pediatric VIEW practice right here in Pittsburgh. After scheduling an appointment for her daughter, Giulia, and being seen several times, Emily enquired if Pediatric VIEW ever worked with school systems to help optimize learning for children with CVI. The Pediatric VIEW Practice had been working on school services for some time and have a few different lines of service that can be provided to school systems to promote collaboration between disciplines that allows easier access to education for all students. Pediatric VIEW will now be part of Giulia's school’s IEP meetings and Emily feels that this will provide a cohesiveness that is currently missing for Giulia. She feels it will increase the school districts awareness about the needs of children with CVI and provide tools for easier access to learning

Emily states that “Dr. Roman-Lantzy’s strategic approach to Giulia’s School work has been invaluable” and she has seen great improvement in Giulia’s functional vision. “It has been a Great experience” Emily says “Dr Roman-Lantzy has made Giulia feel empowered by the tools that she has given her ”

Meet Giulia Marino and her mother Emily

Pediatric VIEW Practice School Support Services

Christine Roman-Lantzy, Ph D

Jonathan Graves, M.Ed., CTVI, CATIS

Traci Ziemkiewicz, OTR/L

Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is the LEADING cause of visual impairment in children. Many children who are diagnosed with CVI need support services in school to help them thrive.

SCHOOLSUPPORTSERVICES

PediatricVIEWhasdevelopedSchoolSupportServicestoprovideresourcestochildren,schools,andfamiliesto optimizeachild'sfunctionalvisionandallowthemtoparticipatefullyinclassroomlearning

Togetherwiththeschooladministration,ourPediatricVIEWPractitionerswillassesstheneedsofthechildandyour school,todeterminewhichmodelofourSchoolSupportScalebestmeetsyourneeds. Thispartnershipwill demonstratethestudent'sperformanceimprovementandthedistrict'ssuccessfulimplementationofCVIappropriate programmingandaccommodations

Fee for Service Model

ForSchoolsneedingonlyminimalsupportandprogramming

MeasurementsofChild,Environment,andEducationalstaff

TeamMeetingsforIEPDevelopment

Consultation&MentorshipforStaffProvidingServicestoStudentsandCYF

AdministrativeFees(coversdocumentationandreports)

Consultative Model

ForSchoolsneedingmoderatesupport,packageincludesaminimumof:

3Assessments(Child,Environment,andEducationalStaff)

2TeamMeetingsforIEPDevelopment(1houreach)

10TeamConsultations

5AdministrativeHours

Intensive Model

ForSchoolsneedingmaximumsupport,packageincludesaminimumof:

3Assessments(Child,Environment,andEducationalStaff)

40hoursofDirectInterventionServices

2TeamMeetingsforIEPDevelopment(1houreach)

10TeamConsultations

10AdministrativeHours

SERVICE PRICING

$350 00 / hr $100.00 / hr

$100.00 / hr $ 90.00 / hr

PACKAGE PRICING

Starting at $2,700 00

Cost adjusted based on number of additional contact hours

PACKAGE PRICING

Starting at $8,050.00

Cost adjusted based on number of direct intervention services needed

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

The Children's Home of Pittsburgh and our Pediatric VIEW Practice are very appreciative of your support over this past year We are looking forward to expanding our services to continue meeting the needs of more children and families. We could not have come this far without you and your amazing children!

Thank you!

"We appreciated the time that Jonathan took to allow our student's team of teachers to ask about accommodations for their specific content areas. Jonathan provided detailed input as well as a variety of options to improve her access to the class materials"

YOUR APPOINTMENT

To make an appointment with our Pediatric VIEW Practice, please click or scan the QR code or send an email PediatricVIEW@chomepgh.org

~ Natalie Rowe, Learning Support Teacher

"Dr Christine Roman-Lantzy is irrefutably the expert in cortical visual impairment. Dr Roman-Lantzy is a pioneer and used the correct and true CVI range that will change the trajectory of my son's life forever."

~ Angel Webb, Parent