Mrs. Pasley is a 1992 graduate of Georgia State University with a BS in Physical Therapy. She helped start the Pediatric Therapy Outpatient Clinic in 1992 at Floyd Medical Center in Rome, GA and initiated providing services to the babies of the NICU in 1995. She underwent extensive training in the care and handling of premature infants and has been a consultant statewide for other NICUs. She wrote a pamphlet for parents of babies in the NICU in 1998 that is still used today. She was also featured in a prominent Rehabilitation Magazine, TEAM REHAB, in 1997 as the cover story for evaluation and prescription of wheeled mobility for severe and profound infants and toddlers. Mrs. Pasley came to work at CCSS in 2001 to further her skills in the pediatric physical therapy related services setting and expand her knowledge base of daily living for children with disabilities as they learn to navigate the school environment. She provides related services in physical therapy by addressing a student's need with mobility and accessibility of the school environment which may include adaptive equipment needs, orthotics, mobility devices and functional needs assessments. She enjoys working closely with teachers, Occupational therapy and Speech-language pathology professionals to address the needs of the whole student. It has been her passion for 32 years to work with children and their families to create an optimal learning environment for students.

My name is Dr. Christy Abernathy McDonald. I am the Lead Occupational Therapist for the Cartersville City School System. I have the wonderful opportunity to evaluate and work with students 3–21 years old. I enjoy working in all settings offered within our district: self-contained, resource, inclusion, and the community-based instruction setting. It is a joy to watch our students grow developmentally, socially, and mentally each year to live their life to it's fullest. I am a "home-grown" Purple Hurricane, raised in Cartersville, Georgia. Working for the Cartersville City School System gives me a sense of pride and community, as I am able to give back to the school system that poured so much into my life as a student. 

Expertise:

Sensory Astronaut Training, Therapuetic Listening, Sensory Regulation in the home and classroom, School Based Sensory Diets, TEACHH training, Interactive Metronome Training, The Alert Program for Self -regulation, Hand Writing With Out Tears, Mary Bebow's Developmental Handwriting, Ready Bodies Learning Minds Sensory Motor Learning, Adaptive Skills for the School Setting, and Kinesio Therapuetic Taping for Adults and Pediatrics. Many of my continuing education classes focus on the devleopment of the student's neurological, sensory, and motor skills to improve their overall success in the academic setting, as well as Assistive Technology Seminars to gain updated knowledge on  available technology to support our student's academics through the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology in partnership with Georgia Tech Institute.

Family: I am the daughter of Pastor Michael and Shirly Abernathy. I am married to James McDonald, and we have two daughters. Leah is a Senior at the University of North Georgia (Pre-Law), and Julia is a Junior at Cartersville High School. She is participating in the Dual Enrollment Program @ Georiga Highlands College. We love the outdoors, traveling together, and enjoying church with family and friends.

Thank you for entrusting your student in my care, and I look forward to supporting the students, staff, and families of the Cartersville City School System.

Go Canes!

Dr. Christy A. McDonald