Meet our Early Intervention Teams!

Karen Larson - Director of Early Intervention
Klarson@sc.easterseals.com
(803) 372-9425
(803) 396-0256 Fax

Karen Larson joined Easter Seals in 2007 and has over 20 years experience in the early intervention field. During her time with Easter Seals, she has held multiple positions within the agency and now serves as the Director of Early Intervention.

Karen completed her undergraduate degree at West Virginia University and her graduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has always been a firm believer in the concept of early intervention, which is, the earlier supports are in place the better the outcomes are for both caregivers and their children. Karen’s graduate research and thesis were conducted on parental needs in the NICU. This research study was a turning point in her experience in the field of early intervention. Since that experience her focus is now even more specific on striving to support and empower families by using the approach of family driven services.

Karen is also a mother of two young teenagers. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family, watching her children’s sporting activities, traveling, and boating.

Melissa Griffin - Assistant Director of Early Intervention

MGriffin@sc.easterseals.com

(803) 627-3857

(803) 222-1518 Fax

Melissa Griffin joined Easter Seals in 2004 and has over 10 years of experience in the Early Intervention field. During her time with Easter Seals, she has held multiple positions within the agency and currently functions as the Assistant Director of Early Intervention. Melissa has always been drawn to children and found her niche when providing Applied Behavior Analysis for twin boys while working towards her Bachelor of Social Work at Winthrop University.

Throughout her entire college career, Melissa was a member of the Close Scholars program in which students complete 112 volunteer hours in local community agencies per semester. This experience helped Melissa to build extensive knowledge of the community resources available for children and families in areas such as financial and grocery assistance, housing, and domestic violence.

As a mom of three girls, including twins who were born at 31 weeks, Melissa has a unique ability to understand children with special needs from both a professional and personal perspective. Having spent over a month in the NICU and participating in the Early Intervention process with her twins, Melissa has experienced first-hand the challenges encountered as a parent of children who have special needs. Melissa is passionate about helping children make developmental gains and assisting families in navigating the resources available for children with special needs.

When she is not spending time with her husband and girls, she enjoys travelling, decorating, and shopping.

Denise Balansky - Early Intervention Systems Manager

Dbalansky@sc.easterseals.com

(803) 981-4321

Denise Balansky has been with Easter Seals South Carolina since the beginning of 2007. She has over 13 years of experience working with children of various ages and with a variety of needs. Her career focus evolved while she worked at an extended school year program in Westport, CT and then took special education courses during her time studying abroad at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Denise obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Education from Western New England University in Springfield, MA in 2004. After graduating, she obtained a position at the New England Center for Children outside of Boston where she had previously interned.

After a relocating to the Carolinas, Denise obtained a position with Easter Seals. She began as an Early Intervention Specialist and was promoted into supervision in 2009. In 2011, she began her current role as the Early Intervention Systems Manager. She supports the Early Intervention Specialists and their supervisors across the state in this role. Denise firmly believes in empowering parents to be their child’s best teacher and to be advocates for their children.

Outside of work, Denise enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. They enjoy traveling especially when it involves a road trip, the beach, or seeing live music. Denise also enjoys baking and photography.