Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Ann Annotti, PhD.
Lee Ann, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I initially discovered my passion for conducting psychological evaluations for children and families with developmental delays during my post-doctoral fellowship at Westchester Institute for Human Development in New York. Since then, I have worked in hospitals in New Orleans and Jacksonville conducting evaluations and building programs that increase community access to psychological evaluations. Over the years I have developed my specialty and expertise in the field of psychological evaluations for children, particularly for Autism Spectrum, ADHD, Learning Differences, and behavioral challenges, and providing parent coaching.
A major challenge in the field of neurodevelopmental evaluations is waitlists! Research shows us time and again that early intervention is critical to a child’s brain development and exponentially improves a child’s daily living skills. Nationwide, the wait time for an evaluation is 18-24 months due to operational red tape and the limited number of physicians and psychologists that specialize in child development. I created Milestones Child Psychology with the goal of reducing wait times from the onset of parent concern to time of evaluation to time of treatment planning. A psychological evaluation is important because it clarifies and identifies a child’s developmental delays so that evidence-based therapies can be recommended and provided. The recommended therapies have been proven to help children progress and develop skills so that they can reach their fullest potential.
A second, and just as important goal, is to make the evaluation supportive of the family unit. Parents and family are the advocates for the child and are an essential part of the evaluation and treatment process. Milestones Child Psychology also supports that families through the process of obtaining specialized services through the school system. Milestones offers Educational Advocacy because we are deeply committed to helping families access the support their children deserve. Navigating special education can be complex, emotionally taxing, and overwhelming. Our approach is grounded in professionalism, empathy, and clear, effective communication to ensure a collaborative relationship with the school that will provide the appropriate supports so your child can be successful within the school environment. Milestones’ goal is to shoulder the procedural and administrative burden so families can stay focused on their child’s needs and well-being.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Can I say getting through a PhD program and dissertation defense was a challenge?
Two years after becoming a licensed psychologist, I had twins and when they were infants my mom developed stage 4 lung cancer that metastasized to the brain. While taking care of my children and my mother who was terminally ill, I stopped working for 2 years. Working as a psychologist is as much an intellectual endeavor as it is a creative outlet. When my mom passed, I went back to work with a vigor. I wanted to create life-changing programs that would benefit my community.
It is not always a smooth road creating programs and resources to special populations, such as children with developmental differences. Politics, policies, and funding greatly influence a provider’s ability to start and sustain initiatives that benefit the children and their families. Insurance companies often have a greater impact in determining a child’s care than the actual recommendations from the child’s well-trained doctor, often leading to hours of time spent debating with insurance companies.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The greatest compliment I received from my program chair was when she referred to me as a visionary. I am frequently inspired by my patients/clients and their families, as well as the research that is coming out in the field of neurodevelopment. I am excited to create programs, services, community outreach, and increase access to psychology based on the recent research and experiences of the families I work with. I am action-oriented and a problem-solver. While starting Milestones Child Psychology, my clients are struggling with overwhelming sensory sensitivities to clothing, which is negatively impacting their ability to focus at school or dress according to cultural expectations for interviews. So, what do we do? We are creating a clothing line informed by our clients. The clothes will be sensitive to a diverse array of sensory needs ranging from compression, weighted, loose-fitting, cooling, and wicking, while making the clothes look fashionable. We will find solutions to the challenges.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://milestonespsych.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.annotti_milestones/?__d=11
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?react=AQKhmykiPG-OP15Hqqk
