Photo credit: Longwood University
Kingsley Family
“It does take a village to raise a child, especially if you have children with special needs,” said Jennifer
Kingsley, a longtime Farmville, Va., resident and local veterinarian. And she should know – together with her
husband Dan, an optometrist, Kingsley has six children.
Over the years, the Kingsleys have also been foster parents to 25 children. Four of their children were adopted
from foster care and have special needs.
Tyler, 12, is hard of hearing and doesn’t pick up vocabulary easily. Hailey, 8, came to live with the Kingsleys as
an infant, and as a toddler wasn’t learning words as she should. Andy, 7, wasn’t talking when he came to live
with the Kingsleys at 3 ½. Andy also had almost no social skills or familiarity with every day things, which
caused him to be fearful of new experiences. Most recently, the Kingsleys have adopted 2-year-old Timmy,
who has hearing and articulation difficulties.
In 2006, Tyler was one of the first clients to be seen when Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing and
Learning Services (formerly the Longwood Center for Communication, Literacy and Learning) opened in
Farmville. The center offers professional speech-language, educational and early intervention programs to
children and families in Southcentral, Va.
“The base of my village is Longwood,” said Kingsley. “I’ve yet to stump them with an issue one of my children
is having. To be able to get advice about your child from a group of professionals, all under one roof, who can
help with a range of issues, is an incredibly valuable resource, especially in a rural area.”
Kingsley credits the staff’s approach and how the university involves speech-language pathology graduate
students with helping her children to thrive. She said her children enjoy going to sessions because the services
are geared toward their interests – from fire trucks, to grocery stores to Harry Potter.
“The graduate students are excited about what they’re doing and always put so much thought into the session
they’re leading with your child,” she said. “But they’re also under the watchful direction of professional
clinicians, who are also Longwood faculty members, so you’re getting a range of experience.”
Kingsley now happily reports on the successes of her children. Tyler is a rising seventh grader who exceeds
educational goals and plans to graduate high school and attend college. After a year of services, Hailey has
“graduated” and no longer needs additional assistance with speech. Andy still struggles with some fears and
articulation issues, but has come a long way from the little boy who was scared of holiday celebrations and had
never been to a grocery store. And Timmy is expected to overcome his initial delays caused by hearing
difficulties.
“I would encourage any parent, whether their child has special needs or not, to check out the services available,”
Kingsley said. “There’s always a benefit to evaluating goals for your child and seeing how they can be
supplemented.”
Longwood University’s Speech, Hearing and Learning Services will open in a new facility, located at 315 Third
St. in Farmville this October. The off-campus facility will have eight individual therapy rooms, two group
therapy rooms, a large pre-school room and ample parking. Expanded programs and technology will include
swallowing evaluation, a child feeding clinic, support groups for families and audiology services. For more
information, call 434.395.2972 or visit longwood.edu/lccll.