Meet Developmental Enrichment Program’s
Sharon Cesnik & Paula Quammen Merging Love, Fun, & Growth By Rebecca Wood
Five years ago, Carla Schmid frantically phoned a developmental pediatrician. Schmid desperately sought guidance for her 3-yearold son, Cody, who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Cody was struggling in his cooperative preschool class with verbal and social skills. He lagged behind his peers in reaching developmental milestones. To Schmid’s dismay, the developmental pediatrician couldn’t see Cody for months. Schmid erupted into tears and reiterated the need for immediate help. The sympathetic office staff referred Schmid to the Developmental Enrichment Program run by Sharon Cesnik and Paula Quammen. Shortly thereafter, Cody was enrolled in the program’s preschool enrichment classes. In a matter of weeks, Cody was not only able to sit for circle time, but he began to respond to questions and engage in tasks. The Schmids continued to witness Cody’s growth as he attended more and more classes. “Before my husband and I could even dare to imagine a future for Cody, Sharon and Paula already saw and believed in his potential. They knew he could be pulled out of his ‘inner world’ and engage with the world around him,” Schmid said. Cody is now in first grade. Schmid says Cody’s teachers are shocked to read his preschool reports. The same kid who was non-verbal and non-responsive to verbal input is now laughing with peers on the playground and volunteering to answer questions at morning meeting. “It’s not an exaggeration at all to say that Sharon and Paula completely changed our son’s life,” said Schmid. Cody’s story is not unique; numerous other families share similar accounts of children’s changed lives through the Developmental Enrichment Program. Cesnik and Quammen launched the Developmental Enrichment Program 23 years ago. The pair had previously worked at Crossroads Rehabilitation Center. Cesnik, a trained speech therapist, and Quammen, an early childhood and special education teacher, worked well together and shared the same philosophy on children; namely, the desire to make growth fun. While at Crossroads, Cesnik and Quammen recognized the school systems’ limited resources for children struggling with social, verbal, and academic skills. They noted a need for private therapy to fill those gaps. They also wanted to include the entire family in the process, an undertaking many school districts find difficult. Eager to meet those needs, the twosome initially developed a summer program for preschoolers struggling with speech, social, and behavioral skills. After that first summer, Developmental Enrichment Program grew into a year-round program that serves children age 3 to eighth grade through both preschool enrichment programs and school-age social skills groups.
16 Special Needs Living • July 2021
