Center in 20th Year of Helping Children

Less than a year ago, Janet Seaborne, 17, still had not mastered the simple skill of writing her name in cursive. Now, at the slightest prompting, she’s happy to give a quick demonstration.

Janet’s life will never be the same as that of other children her age. She was born with mild cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder.

If not for years of therapy that began when she was a baby at Simi Valley Hospital’s Child Development Center, “I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere,” she said. It was with the center’s help that she learned to crawl. As an infant, she could not respond to sound, and her seizures were uncontrollable.

Today, Janet takes special day classes at Moorpark High School, where she assists other students whose disabilities are more severe than hers.

Janet and her mother, Sharon Seaborne, were just two of the 500 people on hand last week as the Child Development Center celebrated 20 years of helping children.

The center opened in 1979 with seven children and, since then, has served close to 2,000 children and their families, many of whom welcomed the opportunity to return for Wednesday’s reunion.

The center now serves more than 400 youngsters, ranging from infants to teenagers, providing occupational, physical and speech therapy. Some children struggle with fetal alcohol syndrome or rare metabolic disorders, but most have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or autism. Some have physical disabilities but function normal mentally, while others look like any other children their age but suffer from mental or language limitations, said Robin Millar, the center’s director.

The center is unique in Ventura County and the west end of the San Fernando Valley because it offers both early intervention programs for children younger than 3 as well as therapies for people beyond age 18, Millar said.

Sharon Seaborne, who became a secretary at the center 13 years ago, said the center’s role goes beyond therapy for children.

“It gives the parents a feeling of belonging, and they’re not alone,” she said.

The center honors children with respect and dignity in a society accustomed to judging people on looks, wealth and brains, Millar said. Parents also find support that can be difficult to find elsewhere, she added.