Community Connection: Meet Dr. Giancarlo Fusco
“I often find myself advising my parents to look inward not to their perceived shortfalls, but rather to the successes they have fostered in their children. But perhaps even more importantly, you are not in this alone.”
We have been so lucky to learn from several Community Connection guests on the Inclyousion Sports blog to date including a Special Education Attorney, a School Adjustment Counselor and LICSW, an Educator and School Committee Member, and Founder of MERGE Inclusion Consulting. We are thrilled to introduce you to our next guest, Dr. Giancarlo Fusco, who shares his experience with supporting families and children at the Integrated Center for Child Development (ICCD). He offers helpful information on a number of services available to families, navigating the process of a neuropsychological evaluation, and what a parent should do if they suspect their child may have a developmental challenge but they don’t know who to contact or what first step to take. We know you’re going to learn a lot from Dr. Fusco, so enjoy and let us know in the comments what questions you may have.
Community Connection will share perspectives from people who are involved in inclusion work, across diverse careers and community volunteer roles, as well as through personal experiences. We hope that through reading about experiences and ideas from people in your community, you feel inspired to continue on your own journey towards building a more inclusive world.
Please share a little about yourself.
Dr. Fusco is a licensed psychologist who earned his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Williams James College. He completed his post-doctoral training at the Integrated Center for Child Development under the supervision of Dr. Rafael Castro and subsequently joined the staff. Dr. Fusco has developed expertise in working with children and adolescents with various profiles, including autism spectrum disorders, learning challenges, ADHD, executive control challenges and socio-emotional concerns. Dr. Fusco is dedicated to his families in addressing their needs and concerns through comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations where recommendations are developed to inform intervention both in the home and school setting. In addition, Dr. Fusco is responsible for systemic development at ICCD as the Director of Operations. Dr. Fusco is multi-lingual and speaks both Italian and Spanish. www.iccdpartners.org
What is your current profession and what influenced you to do the work that you do?
For the past ten years, I have worked as a pediatric neuropsychologist at the Integrated Center for Child Development. While I have had a longstanding interest in psychology, the passion for my specialization was fostered in graduate school where I learned about the power of neuropsychology. It was a way to collect information in a standardized fashion to gain a truly comprehensive understanding how that individual interacts with their world. It allows for there to be clearer understanding of where their various strengths are, but also where there may be some areas that may benefit from support. While part of my work entails offering diagnostic clarity (which can have value in certain context), my objective in working with families, is to provide a broader and more holistic understanding of their child’s neuropsychology. By appreciating the various assets a child has to offer, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of what may be causing concern for parents, or others working with our children, it allows for there to be a more thoughtful approach to supporting children in the home, school and community. It is in part with the data from a neuropsychological evaluation that meaningful recommendations can be developed to support the children we work with. Ultimately, what influenced my choice in pursuing this work is being able to be part of the process of helping parents access resources and advocate for their child’s needs. Relatedly, as many families who have had to navigate the world of special education know all too well, there is tremendously steep learning curve. Humbly appreciating the role that I can play to empower them on their journey is inspirational in its own right. However, what truly inspires me and influenced me to pursue and remain in this field, is having the privilege to work with my clients over the years and thereby be privy to their successes and growth.
What are some of the services provided by your organization and when do parents seek out your support?
ICCD is a multidisciplinary agency. We offer a wide range of services including neuropsychology, developmental pediatrics, pediatric neurology, counseling, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. We also have some wonderful educational consultants, as well as transition services and executive functioning coaching. In addition, our sister company Boston Behavior Learning Centers, offers Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services, and offer center-based ABA in each of our sites. Our aim has consistently been to provide a comprehensive and integrated approach to supporting our families, whereby there is frequent and consistent communication between professionals working with a family.
As for when a parent may seek out my support, there are a number of reasons that one may pursue a neuropsychological evaluation. In some instances, metrics may be sought out in order to access higher level learning opportunities, such as gifted programs. However, neuropsychological evaluations are more often solicited in an effort to understand the underlying root of a given challenge a child may be experiencing. In part, many families are seeking out diagnostic clarity, in an effort to understand if there is an identifiable cause to a particular behavior or presentation. This may include concerns related to attention, impulsivity, emotion regulation, mood, social skills, learning difficulties, behavior or broader development. The testing is aimed to help parents understand the underlying etiology of these concerns and as noted above, to help create a path to support them. In some instances, parents may be ambivalent about pursuing interventions, and an evaluation can assist with informing both parents and even prescribers about what may be more specific areas to target. In other cases, parents or school districts may be struggling to identify how to best support their child’s programming. In such instances an evaluation can assist with guiding appropriate programming in the school setting, and can serve as a source for advocacy, in even rarer instances where legal counsel has been obtained.
Are there any barriers to children accessing the services provided by organizations like yours? If not, could you share how organizations ensure all children are included? If so, could you share what the barriers are so that parents can better understand how to successfully navigate the process?
At ICCD we work with a wide range of children, adolescents and young adults. Our clinicians typically see children from infant/toddlerhood through college. We work with families from all walks of life and with children who present with a wide range of skills. There are some limitations to standardized testing measures that we use in that they must be administered precisely as prescribed, but where allowed, we make every effort to accommodate the specific needs of all of our clients. Given our familiarity with working with a broad range of children, each meeting is tailored to the needs of the child. There are times where other supports are required, including added structures, such as more frequent breaks, visual schedules, reinforcers or provision of other assistive tools, and these, among others, are needs that we are highly attentive to. Our offices are also fully accessible.
What is a common challenge experienced by the parents of the children you work with, and what advice do you offer them?
A common challenge offered by parents is difficulties with navigating their educational system or IEP/504 process. This is in part due to the complexity of the system, which is not always “user friendly”. Naturally, all of those individuals working with our children want what is best for them, however, the special education process can at times be cumbersome and unnerving for parents. In addition, there is often stress around making sure that as parents we are doing everything we can to support our children, and not “missing anything” in the process. We are sometimes all too inclined to place blame on ourselves and feel as though what we do is not enough. I often find myself advising my parents to look inward not to their perceived shortfalls, but rather to the successes they have fostered in their children. But perhaps even more importantly, you are not in this alone. The reason for creating a support team is to assist you through a complicated, sometimes messy and other times exceedingly rewarding process of supporting your child’s growth. With that in mind, don’t hesitate to reach out if the need arises.
If a parent or caregiver suspects their child may have a developmental challenge but they don’t know who to contact or what first step to take, what actions would you recommend they take?
I would say that the first point of contact is generally a child’s pediatrician. The nature of our healthcare system is such that one’s primary care generally acts as the “gatekeeper” for specialist services. Any concerns that may arise in early development, should certainly be directed to this member of your child’s care team. However, I always tell the parents I work with that nobody knows your child better than you. If you have a concern that you feel may need further evaluation there are certainly other supports that can be sought outside of the primary care office. For children under three in Massachusetts Early Intervention (EI) is a program established for early detection of developmental delays and offers a host of clinical services for children and their families. Once a child reaches the age of three, EI is no longer an option, but there are methods of seeking out support from a school system, along with other support professionals, such as occupational therapists, BCBA, speech and language pathologists and physical therapists, among others. Again, your pediatrician can be one member of your child’s care team who can help to direct you to a given support professional. In addition, a neurodevelopmental or neuropsychological evaluation can help to identify underlying developmental delays and can act as a bridge to access services across disciplines and environments. Finally, a developmental pediatrician is a medical professional with specialized training in child development, who would not replace but would supplement a child’s pediatrician. This professional would be able to meet with a child and their families multiple times throughout the year to offer updated recommendations and referrals to access services. In addition, if the need arises, this professional could also manage pharmacological interventions.
Is there anything else that would be helpful for parents to know about the work you do or the lessons you’ve learned?
A neuropsychological evaluation can be a powerful tool to gain clarity surrounding what are the underlying factors contributing to a child’s experience. It often acts as a roadmap for families, educational settings and clinical providers alike, and in some ways functions to connect those various areas. If there is ever a question about whether or not an evaluation would be beneficial for your child, be it to gain diagnostic clarity or to understand what services a child would warrant both in school and on the outside, certainly don’t hesitate to ask your child’s primary care provider. I can also make myself available to answer any general questions you may have and can be reached at gfusco@iccdpartners.org. Ultimately, one of the most humbling lessons I have learned as a parent and clinician is that there is no greater power than the dedication we have to our children, and I am grateful to be part of the process to support that commitment alongside the family with whom I work.
