Children's Wellness and Development Center

Children's Wellness and Development Center Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Children's Wellness and Development Center, Psychologist, 34 Narragansett Avenue Unit 2, Jamestown, RI.

Our dedicated team is here to support children, young adults, and their families in navigating challenges related to learning, attention and focus issues, executive functioning, behavior management, anxiety, depression, and social understanding.

🎒 FREE Back to School Celebration – Backpacks & School Supplies! 🎒Mark your calendars! On Saturday, August 15, 2026, fro...
08/12/2026

🎒 FREE Back to School Celebration – Backpacks & School Supplies! 🎒

Mark your calendars! On Saturday, August 15, 2026, from 10:00 AM–1:00 PM, free backpacks and school supplies will be given out at 12 locations across Rhode Island. Community agencies will also be on-site with tables offering financial assistance, education resources, and health-related information.

It's first come, first served until supplies last, so arrive early!

đź“Ť Locations:
🔹 Central Falls – Veteran's Memorial Elementary School, 150 Fuller Ave
🔹 Cranston – YMCA, 1225 Park Ave
🔹 Cumberland – Garvin Memorial Elementary, 1364 Diamond Hill Rd
🔹 Newport – East Bay Community Action Program, 6 John H. Chafee Blvd
🔹 Pawtucket – Potter-Burns Elementary School, 973 Newport Ave
🔹 Pawtucket – Samuel Slater Middle School, 281 Mineral Spring Ave
🔹 Providence – Nathanael Greene Middle School, 721 Chalkstone Ave
🔹 Providence – Student Registration & Placement Center, 325 Ocean St
🔹 Providence – United Way of Rhode Island, 50 Valley St
🔹 Providence – West End Community Center, 109 Bucklin St
🔹 West Warwick – Thundermist Health Center, 186 Providence St
🔹 Woonsocket – Woonsocket Middle School, 60 Florence Dr

⚠️ Students must be present to receive a backpack.

Can't make it for safety reasons? Call United Way's 211 after the event to ask about picking up a backpack.

A huge thank you to the community partners and sponsors making this possible! đź’™

New research analyzed nearly 7,000 kids and found that ball sports — soccer, tennis, table tennis — are the single most ...
06/13/2026

New research analyzed nearly 7,000 kids and found that ball sports — soccer, tennis, table tennis — are the single most effective exercise for improving executive function in children. We're talking impulse control, working memory, and the ability to switch gears. All the things our ADHD kids work so hard at every day.

The reason? Ball sports force the brain to make constant, unpredictable decisions — tracking moving objects, reading other players, adjusting in real time. It's not just exercise. It's brain training that kids actually want to do.

As school wraps up, this is your permission slip: sign them up for the rec league. Say yes to the neighborhood pickup game. Skip a workbook. Grab a ball.

Save this to share with another ADHD parent đź’ś

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If your child has ADHD or struggles with focus and self-control, I want to share something that genuinely surprised me —...
06/13/2026

If your child has ADHD or struggles with focus and self-control, I want to share something that genuinely surprised me — and came at the perfect time as we head into summer.

A major new study looked at nearly 7,000 children and compared different types of exercise to see which one best improved executive function — that's the set of brain skills that help kids pause before acting, hold information in mind, and adapt when things change. The exact skills our kids work so hard at every single day.

The winner wasn't tutoring. It wasn't a brain training app. It was ball sports. Soccer, tennis, table tennis.

Ball sports scored 97 out of 100 for improving impulse control, and 93 out of 100 for mental flexibility. The reason makes a lot of sense once you think about it — ball sports force kids to make constant, unpredictable decisions. Tracking a moving ball, reading other players, adjusting in real time. It's not just their body getting a workout. It's their brain.

And unlike running laps, kids actually WANT to keep playing.

So as school wraps up and summer schedules open up, this is your evidence-backed permission slip:
âś… Sign them up for the rec league
âś… Say yes to the neighborhood pickup game
âś… Look into tennis or table tennis lessons
âś… Aim for at least twice a week, all summer long

Exercise supports — it doesn't replace — whatever care plan your child already has. But this research suggests that letting them play ball this summer might be one of the best things you can do for their brain.

Share this with another ADHD parent who needs to hear it đź’ś

(Source: Li & Li, 2026, Child Neuropsychology)

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we talk about kids and screens lately.Because if I’m honest…a lot of the expectations...
04/17/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we talk about kids and screens lately.

Because if I’m honest…
a lot of the expectations we place on kids don’t even match adult behavior.

I can fully understand the pull to check my phone, scroll for a few minutes that turns into 20, read one more article, or fall into a comparison loop—and I have a fully developed brain.

So what are we expecting from kids whose brains are still under construction?

From a neuroscience perspective, this matters.

The developing brain is especially sensitive to reward, novelty, and social feedback. And digital platforms are incredibly good at activating those systems. In kids and teens, the “go” systems are strong, while the “pause and reflect” systems are still developing.

That doesn’t mean screens are inherently bad. It means context matters.

In our home, we do have some structure around screens. But the more important piece isn’t restriction—it’s how they’re used.

Watching something together and talking about it engages language and critical thinking. Playing a game together builds problem-solving and emotional regulation. Interaction changes the experience—and the brain.

And then there’s something we don’t talk about enough:

Boredom.

Unstructured, device-free time gives kids space to imagine, create, and make sense of their world.

Yesterday, I saw that play out in real time.

A group of kids (ages 4–10) spent hours outside creating an elaborate imaginary game—complete with storytelling, negotiation, conflict, and resolution. It was messy, creative, and completely self-directed.

No app could have replicated that.

We don’t all need the same rules when it comes to screens. But we can be more intentional about what we’re supporting:

More connection
More conversation
More space for boredom

Because kids don’t just need limits.
They need environments that support how their brains are designed to grow.

And if we’re being honest… a lot of us could probably benefit from that too.

https://childrenswellnessri.com/if-adults-struggle-with-screens-what-are-we-expecting-from-kids/

Autism Awareness Month: Understanding the Nuance Behind the Diagnosis“If you know one child with autism, you know one ch...
04/10/2026

Autism Awareness Month: Understanding the Nuance Behind the Diagnosis

“If you know one child with autism, you know one child with autism.”

April is Autism Awareness Month, and one of the most important messages for families is this: autism is highly variable—and not always easy to recognize.

Clinical research highlights that autism does not always present in obvious or stereotypical ways. While some children show more recognizable developmental differences early on, others may have subtler profiles, where strengths in language, cognition, or social imitation can make differences less immediately apparent.

This is why clinicians sometimes talk about:
• “Red flags” – more clearly recognized developmental differences
• “Pink flags” – more subtle signs that may still reflect underlying social, communication, or behavioral differences

For example, a child may:
• Appear socially interested, but struggle with reciprocity or deeper social understanding
• Have strong language skills, but difficulty with pragmatic (social) communication
• Show intense interests or rigidity that may be mistaken for personality or temperament
• Present with overlapping features of ADHD, anxiety, or learning differences

Research emphasizes that autism is not a single pathway—it is a neurodevelopmental profile shaped by multiple factors, and it often co-occurs with other developmental or emotional differences. Because of this, some children are misidentified, diagnosed later, or not fully understood early on.

From a neuroaffirming perspective, these differences are not deficits to “fix,” but differences in how a child experiences, processes, and interacts with the world. The goal of evaluation is not to label, but to understand a child’s unique profile—their strengths, their challenges, and how best to support them.

Why this matters for parents:
If something feels different about your child’s development—even if it doesn’t match the “typical” signs—it’s worth exploring. Subtle differences are still meaningful.

Next steps:
• Under age 3: In Rhode Island, Early Intervention (EI) services can provide developmental evaluation and supports.
• Age 3 and older: Speak with your child’s pediatrician or consider a comprehensive evaluation.

At Children’s Wellness & Development Center, we take a whole-child, neuroaffirming approach to neuropsychological evaluation—because understanding how your child thinks and learns is the first step toward meaningful support.

Early understanding doesn’t change who your child is—it helps us better support who they already are.

Address

34 Narragansett Avenue Unit 2
Jamestown, RI
02835

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5am
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14013159181

Website

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