A primary care pediatric
practice providing
comprehensive care
for children of all
abilities, including
well child care and
sick appointments.
Sparks Pediatrics strives to be a medical home
for all children including those with
special health care needs.
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Snehal Khatri, MD, FAAP
◦ Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Alabama
School of Medicine
(board-certified developmental pediatrician)
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Jennifer Kimbrell, MSN, RN, CPNP
◦ Board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
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Maliea Box, RN
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Anola Ennis, MSN, RN, CPNP

Joan Carlisle, PhD, RN, PPCNP-BC
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Velesha Heard, Office Associate
(part-time)
◦ Board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
(faculty practice)
◦ Board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Nutrition
Dentistry
Psychology (including Autism
Evaluations, Social Skills
Group for Teens with ASD,
and Behavior Assessments)
Multiple Disabilities
Services
Neurology: Rett Syndrome
Clinic and Research
Newborn Follow-Up for
Very Premature Births
Audiology including
Augmentative/ Alternative
Communication
Psychoeducational
Services (IQ testing and
Special Ed)
Speech/Language
Optometry
Occupational Therapy, and
Constraint Therapy
Social Work
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Newborn to 19 years of age
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Well baby/well child health care
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Physical and behavioral assessments according to
American Academy of Pediatrics, Bright Futures,
and Medicaid guidelines
Many children have special health care needs
Some children are considered to be medically
fragile
Large percentage of children are in foster care, or
child protective service is involved
Patients come from a variety of traditional and
non-traditional family situations:
 Two parent home
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Single parent
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Foster placement
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Group homes
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Grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins, and friends/neighbors
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To serve as a medical home
◦ Assessments
◦ Management plans
◦ Anticipatory guidance
◦ Facilitate communication between family and
providers (primary and specialists)
◦ Facilitate management plan/communication with
schools, teachers (i.e. individual education plans)
A continual challenge is to coordinate care and
communication with our limited practice staff.
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All staff work collaboratively in managing
patients.
◦ Morning team meeting to discuss patients for the day.
◦ No pre-scheduled provider (MD, PNP) unless a new
consult is made with MD for behavior.
◦ Patient care conferences and consults held between
providers during the course of the day.
◦ Consults with interprofessional colleagues, as needed.
◦ Referrals and consults made to outside providers within
the healthcare community, as needed.
Recognition in Birmingham Parent Magazine
(as voted by parents)
The “M” family
Husband and wife accepted custody of their
two GREAT grandsons.
 Tyler
◦ DX: Behavior issues, developmental delays, later
diagnosed with ADHD
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Tanner
◦ DX: Congenital Cytomegalo Virus, hearing loss,
delayed speech, behavior issues, developmental
delays; later diagnosed with ADHD and aggression
Shortly after we began seeing this family, a
third great-grandson, Taylin, was born; they
accepted this child into their care as well.
◦ All brothers would be together
◦ Maintain their family
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Behavior of older boys
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Behavior of youngest as he got older and
learned to copy his older brothers
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Visitation after-effects when boys visited with
birth mother
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Frequent visits to multidisciplinary specialists
(i.e., hearing aids, behavior counseling, etc.)
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Retirement of both Mr. & Mrs. M
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Health challenges for both Mr. & Mrs. M
Sparks served as medical home
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Assisting with referrals and needed services
Acted as intermediary with psychology, audiology,
speech, schools
Flexible scheduling of primary care appointments
and sick visits to better accommodate family needs
and other appointments
Able to ‘drop in’ for questions when in building for
other services
My husband and I have custody of our great grandsons;
all are ADHD but the middle child has aggression as well.
This has been quite a challenge to us. At times, the
aggression is so severe we have to hold Tanner to keep
him from hurting himself or others.
Had I not had the support of Dr. Khatri and her staff, I
would not have been able to handle this as I should.
Sparks Clinic is much more than a Doctor’s office. They
are a support for parents and grandparents with children
with special needs.
We also use the audiology department of Sparks for the
middle grandson with hearing loss. He has been in
hearing aids since 9 months old and we have had great
support from Dr. Woodruff in getting Tanner the tools he
needs in public school. She helped us get the FM system
for him to use in all his classes.
Dr. Khatri also referred us to a great psychologist and a
psychiatrist to help manage the ADHD. I have told many people
that Dr. Khatri and her staff are my lifeline.
They have been there for us
in the best of times…
but most importantly,
they have been there
in the worst of times!
“Elvis” is in the building (Halloween)
Serves as a clinical site for:

Nursing
◦ BSN programs
◦ MSN practitioner (PNP, FNP)
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Medicine
◦ Third year medical students
◦ Pediatric residents
◦ Pediatric fellows
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High School (shadow programs)
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental
and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program

National training program funded through the
Maternal and Child Health Bureau
◦ Idea for LEND began in the 1950s
◦ Currently there are 43 LENDS in 37 states
◦ Only LEND program that includes a pediatric primary
care component
Purpose: to improve the health of infants,
children and adolescents with disabilities by
advancing the knowledge and skills of all child
health professionals.
The curriculum is
◦ Organized around core competencies
with
◦ Individualized training plans for each
student
Students are Master’s level or higher (1-2 year
program)
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Audiology
Dentistry
Nursing
Nutrition
OT
Psychology
Speech-Language Pathology
Social Work
Clinical Rotations
 Sparks Pediatrics
 Multiple Disabilities Clinic
 Autism Evaluations
 Psychoeducational Evaluations
 Interdisciplinary Developmental Evaluations
 Home Observation of a Family of a Child with Special
Needs
 Weekly Lectures
 Leadership and Advocacy Activities
 Interdisciplinary Patient-Specific Team Meetings
 Family Conferences
 Discipline-Specific Training
Contact Information
Joan Carlisle
jcarlisl@westga.edu