ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Keystone Academy is now open for enrollment! Please visit our homepage for more information and to download an application.

WELCOME DR. KELLY!

Dr. Kelly Ilsley is the Director of Clinical Services at Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics. She is a licensed psychologist, certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in cognitive & behavioral psychology; she is a board certified behavior analyst; and a nationally certified occupational therapist. Dr. Ilsley received her Doctor of Psychology from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, and her certification in Applied Behavior Analysis from Pennsylvania State University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Pennsylvania Counseling Services with rotations in child and adolescent outpatient therapy; alternative education counseling with adolescents; inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation; and in-home family crisis intervention. Dr. Ilsley completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, TX. Her prior experience also includes working with children and adolescents in a variety of community-based, outpatient, school, and inpatient settings. Dr. Ilsley moved to Florida from California, where she served as Associate Director at a non-public agency that provides ABA services to youth with autism-spectrum disorders.

WELCOME MADDY!

Maddy graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Child Psychology. At the beginning of this year she left her home state of Minnesota for the warmth and sun of Jacksonville. Prior to moving she gained experience as a research assistant at the Human Developmental Psychobiology Lab at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. The lab, run by Dr. Megan R. Gunnar, conducts research focusing on how the experiences of childhood affect children of different temperaments and how both temperament and experience effect how a child manages stress as an adult. In addition to working in the lab, Maddy has gained previous experience working in two different pediatric clinics in the Twin Cities: Washburn Child Guidance Center and St. David’s Center: Child & Family Development. In April she is starting her BCaBA studies at the Florida Institute of Technology.

AUSTISM ASSESSMENT: WHO CAN TEST?

Autism Assessment: Who can test?

An essential component in receiving an accurate diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder is proper assessment. Due to the complex nature of Autism Spectrum Disorders, a Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation completed by licensed professionals including certified psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists and other professionals is highly recommended. Whenever possible, Comprehensive evaluations should include neurological assessment in addition to cognitive and language assessment. Common autism assessments include but are not limited to:

• Autism Diagnosis-Interview Revised (ADI-R)
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-G)
• Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)

Only an expert diagnostic team of licensed professionals has the authority to evaluate and assess a child’s strength and weakness to determine a formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. A formal diagnosis should be based on the criteria in the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) or the most current version of the manual.

Here at Keystone we provide a variety of testing services. Our evaluations are comprehensive and include both psychological and behavioral evaluations conducted by a licensed psychologist and psychiatrist. To learn more about our testing services click here.

Please call 904-619-6071 or fill out one of our forms to schedule services.

KEYSTONE KIDS

This month Lori K. got a glimpse into the life of Cyndi N. and her son Matthew. Thank you Cyndi for taking the time to speak with us about some of your experiences!

Lori: How long have you been with Keystone?
Cyndi: Matthew started with Keystone in November 2009 so he's only been here four months but the time he has spent at Keystone has been invaluable...we especially like the Social Skills class and look forward to camp this summer.

Lori: How has your child changed since coming to Keystone? How has Keystone been able to help you and your family?
Cyndi: Matthew is more social and willing to try new things.  Matthew started ABA therapy at age 2.5 (he started in Virginia two months after his official autism diagnosis) and has come so far since then.  The staff at Keystone are very professional and truly care about the kids they work with.

Lori: How did you manage having one child on the GFCF diet and have your family on another diet?
Cyndi: Matthew has been GFCF for over 2 years now.  Just 2 days after removing dairy from his diet his language doubled so we are firm believers in it.  Having a Whole Foods market near our house makes it easy...I have been able to find substitutes for all of his favorites.  I usually prepare the same types of food when we eat as a family...an example of the difference would be I use wheat pasta for my husband and I and corn or rice pasta for Matthew. 

Lori: What is your favorite GF/CF recipe?
Cyndi: Matthew's favorite food is cupcakes!  We get the Whole Foods 365 brand GFCF white cake mix and use applesauce instead of eggs and substitute rice milk for cow's milk.  Then we top it off with Pillsbury plain White frosting - but I have a new recipe for homemade GFCF frosting that I will try for his 5th birthday party!  (His b-day is March 20th.) 

Lori: What are your feelings about your child about to start public school?
Cyndi: Matthew has attended public school since before he turned 3 years old.  He went from the PAC program (Preschool Autism Class) in Fairfax county, Virginia to the Developmental Delay Pre-K class in St Johns county and will be mainstreamed to start typical Kindergarten in August.  We have had wonderful experiences with the public school systems.

Lori: Describe your perfect day (without children and then with children) :)
Cyndi: Perfect day alone:  going shopping, eating a yummy lunch at Panera, getting things done around the house (without interruptions).
Perfect day with Matthew:  going to the beach or the zoo or the park and watching his eyes light up with joy.

Lori: What is the one thing you would want others to know about Matthew?
Cyndi: He is very smart.  Matthew has speech delays and sometimes scripts lines from movies but he is intelligent and no one should ever underestimate him.  (He's also very cute, loving, and has a great sense of humor but that's 4 things!  LOL) 

Lori: Where is your favorite place to go with Matthew?
Cyndi: The Magic Kingdom at Disney World...it's his favorite place in the whole world and he never gets tired of it (and neither do we).

Lori: What is your biggest challenge?
Cyndi: I'm a Navy (submarine) wife and my husband works long hours and deploys for months at a time so sometimes I feel like a single mom.  We also move every 2-3 years so I have to start "the process" all over again every time we move...find Matthew new doctors, therapists, school, etc.

Lori: What is your favorite color?
Cyndi: Baby blue, which is probably why Matthew wears blue teddy bear glasses and lots of blue shirts!   

Lori: What do you know NOW that you wish you would of known earlier?
Cyndi: I wish I had known Matthew has the double MTHFR mutation and has great difficulty detoxing (hence his heavy metal poisoning).  I'll leave it at that b/c I don't want to get into a vaccine discussion here...but I will say please "educate before you vaccinate" and follow your mommy instincts.

Lori: Anything else you want the world to know....this is your chance!!!
Cyndi: I'll end this interview with one of my favorite quotes:  "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning how to dance in the rain." (author unknown)  Now, go kiss your children!  :)

MEET-N-GREET

On the first Wednesday of every month from 5:00-6:00 p.m., you will have an opportunity to meet and greet with the doctors at Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know Dr. Katie Falwell, Dr. Adrienne DeSantis, Dr. Kelly Ilsley, and Dr. Paras Nabizadeh. Please bring any questions you may have about our practice.

The next Meet-N-Greet will be held on Wednesday, April 7th 2010.

KEYSTONE STAFF