Spring 2005 Edition

Children's Therapy Center   The Children Many of the children enrolled at the Children’s Therapy Center on Berkshire Place are from Fair Lawn. But some parents drive up to an hour each way to attend the school, here.   These are not typical kids, nor is this a typical school. There’s no playground. No holiday shows. No one ever runs in the halls or is sent to the principal’s office. These kids are medically fragile.  Twenty-five years ago, many of them would have died at an early age.   Most of these kids are disabled and have trouble walking and talking. They have major genetic disorders, severe developmental delays, visual problems, communication disorders and physical problems. Some were multiple birth babies, born tiny and premature, by mothers who took fertility drugs.   Two of the students passed away last year. One had been having 80 seizures a day, the other had spent the first 200 days of his life in the hospital.   The Center’s students may not be able to sit or walk or speak – but they can still be loving, creative, inquisitive and mischievous – just like any other kid.   The Classrooms Classes at the Therapy Center don’t look like other classrooms in Fair Lawn. A typical class at the Center has a special education teacher and two to three aides. In addition, some of the children have their own nurse or aide. Most of the kids need wheelchairs; some cannot breathe without a breathing apparatus.   The Center’s principal, Carolann Garafola said “some of the kids have sensory problems. They are bothered by what they wear, and they don’t know what is safe and what is not. We have swings and hanging exercises that help them develop their sensory and motor skills.” The Center’s balls, slides, and swings were designed to get kids to focus, build body strength and walk.   Most of the children are in diapers and until last year, two aides were needed to lift the older children from their wheelchairs onto a changing table. Last year, the money from the Fair Lawn Rotary Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast was used to purchase a $3,000 hydraulic changing table. Now, only one person is needed to change a diaper.   The Center and its Programs The Center has a private school class for kids five to eight years old, as well as a nursery school and pre-school school for younger kids. The Center provides occupational, physical therapy, speech therapy, and feeding therapy.   A key goal of the school is to help the kids learn communication skills. Since many don’t speak, they learn to communicate by pointing to boards with colors and pictures. Some learn to use electronic devices that simulate speech. Others press a switch on a computerized message board, choosing from a list of pre-recorded phrases.     Despite its name, occupational therapy is not designed to create future plumbers and electricians. Rather, it helps kids with their fine motor skills, like using crayons or tying shoes. The kids also learn basic cognitive skills like identifying colors and shapes and how to enjoy music.   The Center’s clinic also provides services for more than 100 children in Fair Lawn’s elementary schools, who have much less severe problems.   What Will Happen to These Kids? The Fair Lawn Children’s Therapy Center has programs for kids up to eight years old. When they get older, a few will be mainstreamed into regular classrooms, and if they are fortunate, one day get a job and have a family.   Some may go to a sheltered workshop for adults during the day (like the Opportunity Center on Fair Lawn Avenue). Some might live in a group home (Fair Lawn and Glen Rock both have one).   But, most of them will forever be totally dependent on their families.   Carolann Garafola told Fair Lawn News, “Every year a few kids get mainstreamed into regular classrooms. When that happens, it is wonderful. To make it successful, though, it takes a lot of planning. You need support from the principals, the teachers, and the other kids. It is not easy. You need a classroom that can accommodate a child in a wheelchair and the curriculum may need to be modified. But, mainstreaming a child can help the other children in the class. They learn how to deal with children who have disabilities and they learn not to be frightened of seizures or wheelchairs.”   The Expansion The Children's Therapy Center, also known as the Cerebral Palsy Center, started as a clinic in 1950 at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. In 1986, the Center moved to Berkshire Place, after the hospital decided to build a parking deck.   Last August, after many meetings, the Zoning Board approved the Center’s expansion from 7,100 square feet to 16,800 square feet. The neighbors were worried that the expansion would exacerbate their drainage problems. Since the Saddle River is clogged with debris, after heavy rains, some of the houses in the neighborhood have had flooding in their basements. To accommodate the neighbors’ concerns, the Zoning Board required the Center to add four 1,000 gallon seepage pits and dozens of new trees.   The Center is working hard to raise money for the $2 million expansion. When completed later this year, the expansion will create five new classrooms and three additional therapy centers. It will provide more space for everything from wheelchairs to therapy equipment. It will also help reduce the waiting list of children with special needs.   Families Life can be difficult for the families of these children. Some of the kids are in constant pain and are not easily soothed by their parents. A common cold could land some of them in the hospital.   The Center offers support services to help parents and siblings with practical information for day-to-day living. Garafola said “disabled children require parents to spend more time and money on their children. The parents need more patience and understanding because everything can be a major issue.”   Fundraising and Volunteers Parents pay tuition for nursery school and pre-school. School districts pay $42,000 a year in tuition for enrollment in the Center's private school classes.  These costs don’t even come close to covering the Center’s expenses. The Center holds raffles, golf outings, book fairs, and flower sales to raise money.     Last year, actress Tatum O’Neal and others helped the Center raise $50,000 in a Times Square gala. A Lyncrest Elementary School walkathon raised $3,000 and the Cosmos Club Ladies Auxiliary raised another $600.     The Center is also very dependent on the work of volunteers. Some students work directly with the children, like the Warren Point students who regularly walk over to the Center and read to their ‘reading buddies’. Others help plan events, raise money, and help maintain the building and grounds.     Lisa Heidkamp said “When I first began to work here I was a little uneasy because it was all new to me. At first I felt sad seeing these children in their condition but as I became more familiar with some of them, a lot of that changed. You get to meet the parents and talk about their child. You then realize this is quite a happy place. The children get the therapies they need to thrive.”    For More Info If you would like to donate money, volunteer your services or just learn more about the Children’s Therapy Center, see www.thechildrenstherapycenter.org or call 201-797-7440.