Early support for families worried about their child's anxiety, big emotions, or social development.
We get it...
When parents first notice changes in their child’s mood, big emotions, anxiety, or how their young child connects and communicates, it can be confusing and overwhelming. Many families are left wondering, “Is this a phase? Should I be worried? What do I do next?” They may spend sleepless nights searching for information about symptoms of anxiety, or why their child isn't talking or how to manage their child's aggressive behavior. Long waitlists and unclear answers can make those early concerns feel even heavier. At Wise & Well, we're here to support families right at the beginning—offering gentle guidance, practical strategies, and reassurance—so parents don’t have to wait for help or face their concerns alone.
The place families go when they first have concerns and are searching for guidance.
Your concerns are valid...
The rate of social-emotional concerns are higher today than ever. According to the latest data from the Center of Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 5 children and teens are diagnosed with a mental health condition, and many more remain undiagnosed and struggling.
In addition, 1 in 31 children are found to have autism according to the CDC and latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey completed in 2022.
We know that as a parent, it can be difficult at times to tell the difference between typical developmental ups and downs, and communication, social, or emotional issues that may be cause for concern. We understand and are here to provide information, support and guidance.
We want to make it easy for you. If you notice your child experiencing some of
the following symptoms, it’s not time to panic; it's time to get support.
Do you have a sensitive child?
These are the children who are hypersensitive. They are sweet, loving, and feel everything deeply. While in many ways this quality can be a strength, it also can make negative emotions particularly hard to deal with. Sensitive children often get upset easily, over small things, and the emotions come on quickly. Many parents describe these kiddos’ emotions as going from “0 to 100.”
Because these emotions can feel so big, it can be particularly hard for these kiddos to calm down and bounce back after an emotional escalation or if something doesn’t go their way.Sensitive kiddos are often overwhelmed by their feelings and need help, but don’t know how to communicate their experience appropriately. Instead, their feelings show up through emotional escalation, big behaviors (such as aggression or destructive behavior), defiance, or melt downs and tantrums.
A parent of a sensitive kiddo knows the kind heart of their child but may struggle to know how to navigate these emotions when they escalate. The good news? There’s a way to help your child learn to regulate their emotions now, before they face the complications and increased risks of their teen years or adulthood. Through intervening early and providing family support, we help you create a brighter, more resilient future for your strongly feeling child, so they can step into the next phase of their life with confidence and greater independence.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
~ Benjamin Franklin
Does your child struggle with worries or anxiety?
Anxiety shows up in many ways in children. Parents often notice it most when children frequently vocalize their worries or seek constant reassurance. However, when things feel overwhelming or unpredictable, anxiety can also appear as irritability and need for control. You might have a worried child, but anxiety also looks like anger, stubbornness, or rigidity.
Anxiety is often felt in the body, so anxious children may frequently miss, be late to, or call home sick from school, due to complaints of stomach and headaches. Anxiety encourages avoidance and procrastination of stressors to avoid these negative feelings and find a sense of control over the situation. It can be particularly confusing for parents, as their seemingly
healthy child seems paralyzed by these invisible symptoms.
Unfortunately, anxiety just doesn’t disappear—an anxious kiddo often becomes an anxious adult. What if there was something you could do today, to help turn your worried child into
a confident, brave, and skillful one?
Through early intervention, your kiddo can learn to understand AND face their anxiety. Imagine a time when you and your child can recognize anxiety when it shows up, but this time, you both
know what to do, how to think, and what to avoid. You see your child’s confidence grow as they learn to navigate their worries, not let them take over. If you could give this gift to your child, you probably would, and we want to help.
Support for anxiety, emotional regulation, and early social challenges—so parents don’t have to wait for help and guidance.
Does your child experience difficulties with social-communication?
Are you concerned about your young child's early communication development? Perhaps, your child isn't talking yet or has a limited number of words? Maybe, they don't attempt to use their words or gestures (i.e., pointing, "no" head shake, "gimme hand" to request) to attempt to communication. As a result, your child may use behaviors such as yelling, hitting, running away - initially out of frustration - but eventually, as a communication tool or a means to an end.
On the other hand, your child may have multiple words or speak in phrases but continues to struggle to use their words to move beyond communicating just for their needs and wants. They may have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversations or interactions and moving onto communicating for social reasons like greetings, asking questions or sharing information.
If you on a waitlist for a speech or autism evaluation or are looking for ways to support your child, 18 months to 5 years of age, you are in the right place! Studies have shown that parents can have a big impact on their child’s social communication development by adjusting their everyday routines and interactions they are already having with their child.
Our parent programs help you:
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Learn to create opportunities for your child to practice using communication across their day
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Build your confidence as you understand your child's communication stage and the steps you can take to help them improve
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Build self-efficacy or the belief that you can make a difference in your child's communication and behavior
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Create a supportive, predictable environment so your child can feel calmer and transition easily from activity to activity
Want to learn more? Click to below to see how we can help.
Are you looking for social communication support for your child who is speaking in sentences and having conversations?
For some children, parents may not have any concerns early on, as they develop their social communication skills. Once they begin to speak, their vocabulary skills expand rapidly. They might begin to use long, complex sentences while talking about more advanced subjects compared to their peers.
However, once the child enters an environment, such as preschool, where the social demands increase as they begin to interact more with groups of peers, they may show signs of missing skills in their social communication and social learning development. The child may struggle to start and maintain conversations with their peers. They may have difficulty understanding another person's point of view, or struggle to understand the way someone thinks and feels. They may also become rigid at times, struggling with transitions or change.
Do you have a child who has many strengths and yet struggles to socially interact and develop friendship skills? Do they have a diagnosis of autism or social communication disorder? Are you just becoming concerned about your child and are looking for support and guidance?
Would you like to learn strategies that boost your confidence and help your child to:
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Participate in longer back and forth conversations?
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Understand nonverbal communication cues (i.e., facial expression, body language, tone of voice)?
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Understand how other people feel and the ways they could respond?
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Explore new play ideas and strengthen their friendship skills?
If you would like to learn more about how we can help, click on the link below:
Let's get you started!
Step 1: Email us at: connect@Wiseandwellprevention.com or call us at (734) 386-0633
Step 2: We will follow-up with a phone call to answer any questions you might have and gather more information to help guide you.
Step 3: We will connect you with the services we feel are the best fit and help you register.
Let us introduce ourselves,
At Wise & Well, we are passionate about helping children, families, and the community boost resilience and overall wellbeing. As a licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Katie McClure brings her experience in mental health, Positive Psychology, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, (DBT) to Wise & Well, while long-time educator and Speech-Language Pathologist, Pam McClure, brings her extensive background in supporting parents of children with autism and other complex needs.
Together, we share an expertise in helping families build insight into behavioral and lifestyle patterns and how to navigate challenging behaviors. We believe the wellbeing of the child, family, and community are interconnected and have designed programming to support the quality of life for all three.