I was wondering if any of you who posted earlier in the summer were able to get through. I have been trying also for a while and I hate to bother them but I am also desperate to have my little one seen by the Camaratas. Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks!

Has anyone seen Dr. C for a disorder such as cerebral palsy or other motor condition?

hello, how long did it take for someone to respond emails, calls? I've been trying for over 3 weeks now. thanks.

Thank you greatly appreciate your response!

Anonymous wrote:Dear all - we are desperately seeking help for our only child (a boy) - he is very delayed in talking. I have a couple of questions and would greatly appreciate if those who have seen Dr Camarata through the Late Talkers Foundation could pls comment:
1. Does Dr Camarata even show up during the session - who does the testing and the diagnosis and suggests the treatment/therapy plans?
2. Can Dr. Camarata and his wife distinguish whether a severe delay in speech is just that, a severe delay, or whether it reflects some kind of autistic disorder?
3. Are the treatments they suggest helpful for autistic (eg PDD NOS) kids?
Thank you very very much

Mary does the bulk of the testing, in our experience. Dr. Camarata typically shows up a couple of hours into the testing. He looks over all the pre-material you send, including things like schoolwork and / or videos of your child. He consults on the proper therapy plan. It's a pretty specific report over about 5 to 7 pages. He also spent more than two hours answering our questions. He was also able to tell us when our child's speech would catch up, and so far everything has been on track.

If your child is over 3, they have a very accurate track record of discerning autism from language disorders. If you Google around, you'll find he's doing a lot of work with autistic children, trying to finally do some of the actual scientific testing to see what works, like sensory integration therapy. Under age 3, and they'll tell you it's more difficult to be sure of an actual diagnosis that will stand the test of time.

The Camaratas are experts in how children acquire language, and they typically will give language acquisition suggestions based on your child's DX and learning temperament. Much of the work can be done by parents. They work with all kinds of developmental disabilities, including Down's, ASDs and Kanner's autism, and language disorders.

Dear all - we are desperately seeking help for our only child (a boy) - he is very delayed in talking. I have a couple of questions and would greatly appreciate if those who have seen Dr Camarata through the Late Talkers Foundation could pls comment:
1. Does Dr Camarata even show up during the session - who does the testing and the diagnosis and suggests the treatment/therapy plans?
2. Can Dr. Camarata and his wife distinguish whether a severe delay in speech is just that, a severe delay, or whether it reflects some kind of autistic disorder?
3. Are the treatments they suggest helpful for autistic (eg PDD NOS) kids?
Thank you very very much

Mary does the bulk of the testing. She's sort of the "bad cop." Then Stephen comes in a couple hours after testing has started, and tends to be the fun one (at least as far as the child is concerned.) He reviews all the testing, the videos, etc. On our last visit, he repeated one portion of the test, because he said the results didn't make sense based on the level of school work our child was able to do. Sure enough, the scores leaped dramatically when he redid the testing.

We're going in a few weeks, too, and I was wondering who exactly evaluates the child? I think Mary told me she was, but I thought they both did the evaluations? Can anyone clarify?

Congrats! We've been several times, and have gotten so much usable information out of each trip. Are you seeing him at Vandy or at Late Talkers Consulting? The consulting office is in the Bell Mead area. We stayed at the Baymont Hotel and Suites right off Kenner Ave. We've also stayed by the airport, which worked out OK too.

-- Be sure to take drinks and snacks for your child. The testing is lengthy and takes a lot of concentration.
--Take a tape recorder or a video recorder. They will tell you a great deal of information in a short time, and it will be difficult to remember it all.
--Take lots of notes!
--Write down your questions beforehand so you don't forget.
--Last but not least, try not to stress! The Camaratas are very, very good at working with kids.

I'm traveling with my 4 year old to see Dr. Camarata in a few weeks. If you have already seen him please share any tips for where to stay, any insights for the day of the appointment, traffic, parking, etc. Just want everything to go as smoothly as possible. Thanks in advance.

Thank you!

I was able to reach them through late talkers foundation @
Phone: 615-866-9457

FAX: 615-866-9458

Email

info@latetalkers.org

or http://latetalkers.org/

Can the recent pps please post contact details? I can't find them and I'm desperate for him to see my daughter. Thanks so much!

I've been 5 times with my son, and yes, it an take awhile to get in touch. Mary doesn't really have a staff from what I can tell; she does it all. I have to try back every couple weeks typically until we connect.

Anonymous wrote:Could you share his contact information? I left a vmail with an answering service number on latertalkers.org and haven't heard back. Thanks.

I realize this is an old post but I've had trouble contacting them, as well. I had a great conversation with Mary last spring then emailed to follow-up a few times since last fall and nothing. Are they just that busy?