Our Philosophy

Learning and Development Associates (LADA) is a group of professionals from developmental pediatrics, child psychology, education, social work and speech-language pathology concerned about the developmental tasks of children, adolescents and adults. We are interested in your child's timely achievement of the skills necessary to become a competent family member, student, friend, independent teenager and productive adult.

LADA provides a non-labeling, multidisciplinary approach to facilitating your child's progress toward these goals. Each child's strengths and weaknesses are identified. If there are weaknesses or developmental differences affecting a child's progress, we offer comprehensive evaluations and ongoing consultative support. In keeping with our developmental approach, our commitment to your child and family will continue as long as our services are helpful to you.

Q & A

Why are children referred to the professionals at Learning and Development Associates?

Common reasons for children and adolescents being referred include:

• Development of a profile of developmental strengths and weaknesses affecting the child's ability to learn and interact with others
• Increased understanding of a child's temperament
• Understanding and management of social skill deficits
• Identification of learning differences
• Establishment of selective attention ability and activity level
• Medical management of medicines taken for attention deficit disorder, emotional stabilization and Tourette's Disorder (chronic tic disorder)
• Poor school performance
• Social, emotional and behavioral issues that are interfering with a child's daily functioning

What evaluation services does the LADA staff provide?

Services provided are specifically created for each child's needs. There are no "standard" evaluations. Based on your initial referring question and responses given on the child questionnaires, an evaluation will be specifically designed for your needs. We are very concerned that children not be exposed to more testing than absolutely needed to answer the parents' concerns.

Specific evaluations offered include those for:

• Determination of a specific learning disability in children and adolescents
• Documentation of significant selective attention weakness meeting criteria for "Attention Deficit Disorder."
• Identification of developmental strengths and relative weaknesses in normally developing children
• Speech articulation and language production and understanding

Other Services

What other services are offered by the LADA staff?

• Medication management and behavioral treatment for attention and behavioral concerns
• Evaluation and treatment plans for bedwetting and soiling
• Assessment of a child's temperament profile and interaction with his/her environment
• Assessment and management of childhood behavior problems including: temper tantrums, sleep problems, bullying and other peer problems, excessive shy or aggressive behaviors
• Individual, parent and group counseling
• Speech therapy for articulation and language therapy for understanding and expression
• Parent training with regards to discipline, home organization, scheduling, and academic support for children in the family

Insurance Plans & Service Fees

What insurance plans are accepted by LADA?

Payment is expected when services are rendered. LADA provides all clients with a form that they may use to file with their insurance company to seek reimbursement.

Families who participate in BlueCross BlueShield, NC Health Choice, and/or Medicaid may request the LADA personnel to process their insurance claim for them.

What are the fees for services?

Fees are commensurate with other service providers in this area and reflect our commitment to provide services of high quality. For more information about fees for specific services, please call the Client Coordinator at (919) 380-0028.