For many parents of children with special needs, it is common to feel isolated and ill-equipped to handle the responsibilities they face. Janey Macey and her team of trained specialists offer parents in our area the resources they need to facilitate their child’s growth and development.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana Tech University and her Master of Communication Disorders from LSU Med Center, Macey spent time working in speech-language therapy in the school setting. While she enjoyed working with the teachers and other educational professionals, she also began work in a private outpatient clinic setting, and it was there she discovered her true calling. “The clinic allowed me to work with children on a 1:1 ratio, and I felt like I was making more of an impact while working in that environment.”
In 2004 Macey opened Janey Macey & Associates with other healthcare professionals, and in 2007 the company made the move to Bossier City. Currently the sole pediatric therapy clinic in North Bossier, her multidisciplinary clinic is the only one of its kind in our area. Janey Macey & Associates caters to children from birth to 18 years with disorders including cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), apraxia, dyspraxia, phonological disorder and expressive-receptive language disorder.
Featuring a qualified staff of 13 licensed therapists, Janey Macey & Associates offers speech therapy, occupational therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). The company endeavors to offer each child an individualized therapy plan based on their needs, and that one-on-one attention can be the beginning of a child’s dramatic transformation. Macey says, “We work with other healthcare professionals, the children and their families in a collaborative approach.”
One particularly helpful facet of Janey Macey & Associates is their implementation of ABA which is the scientific approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by the environment. Using this method in their evaluation and treatment, therapists can determine what environmental factors can be modified or addressed to increase useful behaviors and prevent harmful ones. This is particularly advantageous when working with children with autism, and can help them live happy, useful lives. Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBA) are rare, and Janey Macey & Associates employs two of the four BCBA’s currently in North Louisiana.
As a Speech-Language Pathologist, Macey specializes in phonological and articulation disorders, and says, “I take pride in having a child come in for an evaluation with such severe unintelligibility that their parents have a hard time understanding them and a year to two later, I hear that their teacher would have never known they had speech therapy.” Several years ago, she worked with a young boy who’s case was in the top 5% of the most severe phonologically disordered Macey had ever worked with. By the time the boy arrived at kindergarten, his teacher was shocked to discover that he had undergone speech therapy thanks to his current proficiency.
Janey Macey & Associates offer their services and resources year-round, and in the summer offer several programs for children with various needs. They feature an annual ABA summer camp to work on group vocational activities with older children with ASD, and they also offer activities suitable for preschool and school-aged children with ASD. They also offer parent training courses, and will be having a behavioral training seminar in May for parents.
Macey pours herself into her work, but also finds balance in her commitment to family. She says, “I believe my greatest accomplishment is being a mother of two and a business owner simultaneously. I know without a doubt that I am a better mom for being a speechlanguage pathologist and business owner, and a better speech-language pathologist and business owner for being a mom.” Husband David and daughters Elise Marie and Annabel Lee keep Macey grounded and encouraged. “My greatest influence is my husband David; it was through his vision that my business started and has blossomed into what it is today.” Macey is a member of the American-Speech-Hearing-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and is a recipient of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce’s 40 Under 40 recognition and was inducted into the Bossier High School Hall of Fame in 2013.
Being a female business owner and maintaining a full and rewarding personal life can easily overwhelm, but Macey has found her definition of success; “Seeing a child I work with or one of my own children learn something new and become proud of their accomplishments always brightens my day. My definition of success is realizing that at the end of the day, I’ve made an impact in the lives of the children and families I work with.”
