- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Pediatric CareLaura obtained her undergraduate degree from UCSB and her graduate degree in Speech Pathology & Audiology from CSUH. She was chosen to participate in a prestigious fellowship at the VA in San Francisco following graduate school. She is a current ASHA member and holds a California State License in Speech & Language Pathology. She has spent over 25 years working in pediatrics. Her NICU training and participation on a Development Assessment Team, focusing on implementing a multidisciplinary approach for High Risk Infants and Children, provides her with the skills and understanding to develop the foundation essential for the success of the whole child. She specializes in Pediatric Feeding, Apraxia, Cognitive Training and general Speech and Language disorders. She has taken recent advanced training in Myofunctional disorders and TMJD, which led to the development of the My Mouthworks ® Program and FDA cleared OPA®. Laura is a guest speaker at MCC for Advanced Child Development classes. Laura holds a certification as a Child Advocate from USD to represent families during the IEP process. Laura is also a certified practitioner in Electro~Equiscope; a state of the art Microcurrent device to address issues related to pain, learning disabilities and overall wellbeing.
- AutismAutism is a pervasive developmental disorder. This means that most people on the autism spectrum have delays, differences or disorders in many areas — including gross and fine motor skills. Children on the spectrum may have low muscle tone, or have a tough time with coordination and sports. These issues can interfere with basic day-to-day functioning — and they’re almost certain to interfere with social and physical development.
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)Sylvia Mende, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been working with children and their families for over 20 years. Dr. Mende received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Child and Family Therapy from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego, California in 1996. Dr. Mende continued her training with a post doctoral internship at Children’s Outpatient Psychiatry of Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Her past training and experience include designing, supervising, and monitoring ABA home and school programs as well as neuropsychological testing for a private research company. Dr. Mende’s practice focuses on Developmental Disorders and she is a recognized specialist in Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Mende provides consultation, supervision, and training to school district programs and is a behavioral consultant for the San Diego Regional Center, providing behavioral assessments and in-home behavioral services. Dr. Mende provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy, parent support and education, behavior intervention training, behavioral assessments, social skills training, and educational consultation.
- Psychiatry
- Anxiety
- Sciatica
- Sports Medicine
- Physical TherapyHowever, when families seek supplemental services from their health plan, they often discover that the majority of private health plans will not pay for the exact same services that are provided in early intervention or school settings. That is because unlike other therapies (e.g. physical therapy), whose sessions may be completely covered by your insurance, speech therapy is a whole other ball game. Consequently, below are some explanations of what speech therapy services your insurance may actually cover.
- Occupational TherapyLeigh received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Diego State University before graduating from the University of St. Augustine in San Marcos with her Master of Occupational Therapy. Prior to IT4K, Leigh spent 2 years working in early intervention providing in-home OT services to children aged 0-3 years with a wide range of diagnoses, developmental delays, prematurity, and sensory-based concerns. Leigh has completed additional coursework in sensory processing and is trained in various sensory and motor approaches to pediatric feeding difficulties. She is excited to be part of such an amazing collaborative team to help children and their families! Leigh is a San Diego local who enjoys sports, crafts, and going on hikes with her Golden Retriever puppy, Zoe!
- Back Pain
- TMJ Dysfunction