NEURO
DEVELOPMENTAL
PEDIATRICS
Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics is a medical subspecialty dedicated to the evaluation and management of children with conditions interfering with the process of normal child development. Children with challenges in the areas of cognitive, language, motor, social, sensory and/or behavioral development are the patients of neurodevelopmental pediatricians. These developmental challenges are manifestations of atypical brain development, hence the term neurodevelopmental.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What types of conditions do you manage?
Broad categories of challenges that I manage include: developmental delays, learning disabilities (LD), disorders of attention (ADHD), disorders of self-regulation (includes sensory processing disorder), behavioral disorders, coordination disorders, speech and language disorders, autism spectrum disorders (includes Asperger Syndrome and PDD), intellectual disability (ID) and cerebral palsy (CP).
Who should be referred for evaluation?
· Those babies and children who are at high biological risk of developmental disability, even though delays may be minimal or absent.
· Those babies and children who have noticeable qualitative delays in skill acquisition compared with peers or siblings.
· Toddlers and preschoolers who are not exhibiting appropriate behavior in groups.
· Children with school avoidance behavior, poor or deteriorating grades, or difficulties with particular academic activities.
· Children with difficulty making or keeping friends.
· Those babies and children who have noticeable qualitative delays in skill acquisition compared with peers or siblings.
· Toddlers and preschoolers who are not exhibiting appropriate behavior in groups.
· Children with school avoidance behavior, poor or deteriorating grades, or difficulties with particular academic activities.
· Children with difficulty making or keeping friends.
What services do you provide?
Evaluation: The history and exam will help to establish a developmental profile for your child that documents his or her strengths and weaknesses in the major areas of development. Coexisting medical conditions are defined, and the underlying cause for a given condition is addressed.
Recommendations: Further diagnostic testing, including medical, psychological, educational and other specific developmental assessments may be warranted in order to arrive at specific diagnoses and to justify specific therapies. Therapeutic recommendations are made to address pertinent medical and developmental concerns.
Member of Multidisciplinary Team: I work with other professionals involved in your child’s care to provide a comprehensive evaluation and set of recommendations. Others involved in this process may include the primary care physician, other medical specialists, teachers, developmental therapists and other support providers.
Synthesis of Information: In some instances, the enormous amount of information parents receive from the many professionals involved in their child’s treatment can be overwhelming, and even inconsistent. I can help to organize the case, interpret reports and work with other team members to arrive at a consensus that makes sense and is practical for the family.
Source of Evidence-Based Information: All too often parents are presented with recommendations based on anecdotal reports or scientifically flawed data. This can divert the family’s resources and time from other more useful interventions. I can help you to prioritize treatments and interventions.
Psychopharmacology: I have special expertise in the area of pediatric psychopharmacology and, in appropriate circumstances, can prescribe medications that impact children’s behavior.
Advocacy: I provide letters to help families with school placement, eligibility for special services and insurance reimbursement of recommended therapies. These letters are carefully crafted to meet the needs of your child. I have also played a role in passing legislation to better meet the needs of families of children with special health-care concerns.
Recommendations: Further diagnostic testing, including medical, psychological, educational and other specific developmental assessments may be warranted in order to arrive at specific diagnoses and to justify specific therapies. Therapeutic recommendations are made to address pertinent medical and developmental concerns.
Member of Multidisciplinary Team: I work with other professionals involved in your child’s care to provide a comprehensive evaluation and set of recommendations. Others involved in this process may include the primary care physician, other medical specialists, teachers, developmental therapists and other support providers.
Synthesis of Information: In some instances, the enormous amount of information parents receive from the many professionals involved in their child’s treatment can be overwhelming, and even inconsistent. I can help to organize the case, interpret reports and work with other team members to arrive at a consensus that makes sense and is practical for the family.
Source of Evidence-Based Information: All too often parents are presented with recommendations based on anecdotal reports or scientifically flawed data. This can divert the family’s resources and time from other more useful interventions. I can help you to prioritize treatments and interventions.
Psychopharmacology: I have special expertise in the area of pediatric psychopharmacology and, in appropriate circumstances, can prescribe medications that impact children’s behavior.
Advocacy: I provide letters to help families with school placement, eligibility for special services and insurance reimbursement of recommended therapies. These letters are carefully crafted to meet the needs of your child. I have also played a role in passing legislation to better meet the needs of families of children with special health-care concerns.