The Children’s Center for Communication and Development – USM

What is the Children’s Center for Communication and Development?

The Children’s Center for Communication and Development is a non-profit that provides cost-free therapies to children age 0-5 with complex disabilities while educating, training, and supporting families, university students, and professionals.

The team at The Children’s Center consists of speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, an audiologist, listening and spoken language specialists, special educators, and a behavioral therapist, and they all work very closely together to create an individual plan for each child, tailored to their specific needs.

Who does the Children’s Center for Communication and Development serve?

The Center provides direct services to children from birth-five years of age with disabilities ranging from speech and motor delays to cognitive disabilities.  Beyond this, they also train families, provide pre-professional and professional training, and conduct important research in their fields. 

Currently, 110 children from 14 counties in MS are actively receiving services from the Children’s Center for Communication and Development.

Those counties include: Covington, Forrest, George, Hancock, Harrison, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Simpson, Stone, and Wayne counties.

How do I contact the Children’s Center for Communication and Development?

Address: The University of Southern Mississippi campus, George Building, Fraternity Drive

                  118 College Drive #5092, Hattiesburg, MS 39406

Contact Person: Sarah Myers, Director   [email protected]  OR  [email protected]

Telephone number: 601-266-5222

Website:  www.usm.edu/childrenscenter

Additional programs provided by the Children’s Center for Communication and Development:

  • Provides educational and developmental services including speech-language pathology, special instruction, deaf education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, and audiology.
  • Coordinates and plans with the child’s local school district and the MS Department of Health’s First Steps Early Intervention Program.
  • Trains university students as a clinical division of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, College of Health, The University of Southern Mississippi.