Submitted by Amanda Falcone, Middlesex Health
(September 20, 2022) —There is a great demand for diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders in Connecticut and throughout the country. Middlesex Health will soon be able to help.
Middlesex Health is in the process of creating The Mayer Center, which will provide developmental services to children and adolescents with developmental challenges, such as autism, sensory processing disorder, speech disorders and cerebral palsy — all at one location. This new, 3,100 square-foot center will be located in renovated space at Middlesex Health’s Essex Medical Building, 252 Westbrook Road in Essex, and will include a sensory gym, private treatment spaces and group therapy space.
The Mayer Center will open this fall and provide a comprehensive approach to care. Services will include applied behavioral analysis and treatment, speech and language pathology, physical therapy and occupational therapy services.
Currently, Middlesex Health refers most children who need these services to other organizations. This has often resulted in families experiencing long wait times, incurring travel expenses and having to make appointments at numerous facilities throughout the state.
The Mayer Center is named in recognition of Sally and George Mayer of Essex, and their generous donation to the project’s capital fundraising campaign, a campaign to help and build the new center.
“The Mayer Center will give families the chance to get care close to home, easing the challenges they face,” says Annie Calamari, a licensed clinical social worker who serves as manager of Middlesex Health’s outpatient child and adolescent services.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that one in six children is diagnosed with a developmental disability, and approximately 1 in 44 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Middlesex Health’s new center will focus on the unique needs of children with developmental challenges in order to maximize their abilities so they can succeed in life. Developmental disorders can impact anyone regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic status.
“There are many children who could benefit from the developmental services we will provide,” says Brian Taber, Director of Physical Rehabilitation at Middlesex Health. “Early intervention is very important and may help improve brain development, learning, mobility, communication and social skills. I am pleased that we are able to help our community in this way.”
To learn more about The Mayer Center and how you can help, visit MiddlesexHealth.org/brighterfuture.
Photo provided by Middlesex Health
