The Children's Center for Communication and Development

The Children's Center for Communication and Development The Children's Center at Southern Miss provides comprehensive early intervention services to infants, toddlers and preschoolers with complex disabilities.

The Children's Center has been bringing brighter futures to children with complex disabilities since 1974. From humble beginnings to the transdisciplinary program that it is today, one thing has remained constant – the level of commitment on the part of the staff to make a difference in a child’s life. The Children’s Center was built on the notion that every child should have access to the joys (a

nd trials) of life, daily opportunities (and responsibilities), and the chance to build a bright, beautiful future. The specialists at The Center spend their days working to make this vision a reality. Children enrolled at The Children’s Center present a wide variety of special needs and diagnoses, including (but not limited to) speech, hearing and language disorders, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, rare genetic disorders, or other conditions related to premature birth. What sets The Children’s Center apart from its counterparts is the way in which therapies are provided. Research has shown that early intervention is most successful when a comprehensive approach is taken toward a child’s development. What this means for the children enrolled in The Center is that the innovative therapies provided will be custom-fit to each child’s communication and developmental needs and delivered with a cohesive team approach. This team includes speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, special educators, behavioral therapists, and auditory-oral therapists. In addition to providing cost-free exemplary services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with complex disabilities, The Children’s Center is also a preeminent research and training facility. By providing pre-professional training to students at USM and other universities and colleges in the areas of speech-language pathology, audiology, special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, nursing, recreational therapy, and music therapy, The Children’s Center is helping to mold the next generation of committed specialists in Southern Mississippi and beyond.

It would seem our Dapper Five posts have taken a childlike turn lately.🪁🪀But this time, it’s not the Dapper Five ambassa...
04/17/2026

It would seem our Dapper Five posts have taken a childlike turn lately.🪁🪀

But this time, it’s not the Dapper Five ambassador himself reflected in the sweet childhood pics, but rather, his currently less dapper (give them time) but no less adorable boys.

For Seth Hunter, the mission of The Children’s Center isn’t just something he supports - it’s something his family has lived. Both of his sons have received services here - his oldest, now a proud alum, and his youngest, who is still growing, learning, and thriving with the help of our team.

Since their eldest was just a toddler, Seth, his wife Megan, and their family have walked closely alongside The Children’s Center. They’ve experienced firsthand the care, the encouragement, and the hope that early intervention can bring.

When asked about the impact of the Center on their family, Seth said, “We are deeply grateful for the way the team at The Children’s Center has supported our family and helped shape brighter futures for our boys…We could not imagine where our sons would be today without The Children’s Center.”💛

🌹And now, as a Dapper Five ambassador, he’s helping future families have a chance at a bright future too. To see this Dapper dad and help him reach his goal:

👉 eaglefever.usm.edu/project/47731
👉 choose “Give Now”
👉 enter Seth Hunter under “In Honor of”
🙌

04/14/2026

We love our village.🥹🥰

To each of you who took part in Hattiesburg Half Marathon in any way, big or small, thank you! Being part of this event means so much to us and our families. We’re already looking forward to next year!

And a special shoutout to our matching sponsor Keesler Federal Credit Union for helping us surpass our goal💰and to the always wonderful Card My Yard Hattiesburg for helping make our mile so much fun each year!🎉

And of course to our Candy Crew for being the best team we could ask for. Our cheeks still hurt and our hearts are still full from the nonstop smiles, goosebumps, and happy tears on race day! 💫

👋 Hey, Hattiesburg Half Marathon racers! We sure hope we brought you as much joy as you brought us, running on our Candy...
04/14/2026

👋 Hey, Hattiesburg Half Marathon racers! We sure hope we brought you as much joy as you brought us, running on our Candy Land path! You all rock and we absolutely love getting to cheer you on each year! 🤩🍭

04/10/2026

We don’t need to say much about this one - Carsyn says it best herself. 💙

She’s running as a charity runner for The Children’s Center, and her “why” is all the inspiration you need.

So we’ll just say… GO CARSYN, GO! 👟�We’re behind you every step of the way!

She’s been doing the hard work - training to run - all we need to do is help her knock that fundraising goal out of the park! 💪

Donate to Carsyn’s campaign here: bit.ly/carsyn4colbi

Y’all know what this means! 🤭💕… It’s almost race day! 🏃🎊🌟 We’re ready for you, racers! You got this!👊
04/09/2026

Y’all know what this means! 🤭💕… It’s almost race day! 🏃🎊🌟 We’re ready for you, racers! You got this!👊

What are YOU doing this Saturday morning? Come join us on the sweetest mile of the Hattiesburg Half Marathon and help us...
04/09/2026

What are YOU doing this Saturday morning? Come join us on the sweetest mile of the Hattiesburg Half Marathon and help us cheer on the racers! See comments for exact location on campus.

Drumroll please… we have a winner! Dr. Alison Eavenson Webster guessed it right! 🎉 It’s none other than Dapper Dr. Jaime...
04/08/2026

Drumroll please… we have a winner! Dr. Alison Eavenson Webster guessed it right! 🎉 It’s none other than Dapper Dr. Jaime Jiménez.

Big shout out to Jaime Moore Jimenez for providing us with further proof that we nominated the most perfect gentlemen to be our Dapper Five ambassadors! Dapper (and sweet) right from the start. ✨🎩

Head over here to learn more about our Five and help them help The Children's Center: https://eaglefever.usm.edu/project/47731

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Hattiesburg Half Marathon content for a quick little game of Dapper Beginnings!You...
04/08/2026

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Hattiesburg Half Marathon content for a quick little game of Dapper Beginnings!

You make the call… Which of our Dapper Five is pictured in this too adorable for words childhood photo? (Insert Jeopardy music here) 🎶🧐⏱️

(See comments for your options.)

Loved getting to visit with Area Development Partnership's Leadership Pinebelt class last week! Thank you for the opport...
04/07/2026

Loved getting to visit with Area Development Partnership's Leadership Pinebelt class last week! Thank you for the opportunity to share about our work and the impact on our community. 🖤💛

04/06/2026

Ask anyone who knew Kieran Douglas what she loved most, and running is sure to be part of the answer (right alongside ketchup and her people.. who could often be found running behind her 🤗). 🏃‍♀️❤️

That’s why it feels especially fitting that her mom and sister are honoring her memory as charity runners for The Children’s Center.

Kieran was loving, compassionate, funny, and strong in every sense of the word. We were fortunate to be part of her story from the very beginning, and her family has always shared how much The Children’s Center meant to them. But the truth is, Kieran and her family left just as lasting an imprint on us.

Now, Jessica and Avery have pledged to raise $500 in her honor - and because our friends at Keesler Federal Credit Union are currently matching all donations (up to $5,000, total) every dollar given will be doubled.

That means you can help turn $500 into $1,000 of support for the children and families we serve. 💛

Join us in celebrating Kieran’s life and legacy:

Jessica: runsignup.com/runlikekieran
Avery: runsignup.com/runlikekieran2

Hattiesburg Half Marathon 🎗

We had the BEST time with our neighbors last week! We just love our ongoing partnership with our friends at Sigma Alpha ...
04/06/2026

We had the BEST time with our neighbors last week! We just love our ongoing partnership with our friends at Sigma Alpha Epsilon and had the best time celebrating spring and Easter together! The University of Southern Mississippi

When you have volunteers helping make race signs and someone leaves you a friend. 🤭🤗 Thanks for the help, and the new pi...
04/02/2026

When you have volunteers helping make race signs and someone leaves you a friend. 🤭🤗 Thanks for the help, and the new pipe cleaner mascot, ladies! 🤸‍♀️👏

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Hattiesburg, MS

Telephone

(601)2665222

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