Mailman Center for Child Development

"The Mailman's approach to the problem is a model for the nation to follow because you don't just talk about the medical needs of our children. You're looking at the whole child."

EARLY DETECTION/EARLY INTERVENTION

For 20 years, the Mailman Center has been devoted to helping children with developmental disabilities and other special health care needs. Our number one priority is the prevention of handicapping conditions in children. In those where prevention cannot yet be accomplished, our goal is to diagnose and intervene early to minimize disabling effects to help them reach their highest potential.

As part of the University of Miami medical complex, the Mailman Center is one of forty-five, university affiliated institutions throughout the United States. The Center's interdisciplinary approach brings together hundreds of specialists, working together to find answers. As the recipient of governmental, state, university and private funding, we are in unique position to make a difference - often in cases where others have not succeeded. More than 20,000 children a year benefit from the resources of the Mailman Center.

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SUCCESS

At the Mailman Center, we work not only with the child but with the entire family and often, with the community, as well. We are able to draw on the resources of a staff of specialists in audiology, education, medicine, nutrition, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, physical therapy, social work and speech pathology, as well as pediatric specialists in psychiatry, orthopedics, radiology, surgery, neurology, ENT, ophthalmology, pathology, radiation, oncology and transplantation surgery. It is not often that so many skilled, knowledgeable people come together at one place united in the goal of helping children with special needs.

PREVENTION THROUGH INTERVENTION

One in 10 babies is born with a high risk of having a handicap. Our goal is to identify those in jeopardy as early as possible to minimize disabling effects. To prevent or lessen problems before a child is born, we offer an ambitious program of Perinatal Care as well as Genetic Counseling. Through community lectures and workshops, we strive to communicate and educate about the importance of infant health care. We also are involved with, and participate in, legislative affairs which focus on the prevention of handicapping conditions and improved services to children and their families.

While our focus is on early intervention, the spotlight does not fall only on those who are at extremely high risk. Our skilled staff of specialists is available - though the many clinics at the Mailman Center - to families throughout the community. Many families from other parts of the country and from other countries also turn to the Center for testing, evaluation and counseling for their children.

We all need to succeed. That is why psychological appraisal of a child's intellectual and academic performance sets the stage for future success. Often, children's problems do not appear until they are in middle school. Testing and evaluation can uncover early evidence of developmental delay and learning problems in children, with an individualized program developed to help overcome them. Children having problems in school - academically or socially - may benefit from testing to determine whether the cause is genetic, medical or psychological.

Our primary goal for all children, whether handicapped or in need of special counseling, is for them to reach their highest potential and live as useful, independent citizens in the world.