What is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician?
- A developmental-behavioral pediatrician evaluates children with a wide range of developmental and behavioral issues
- These professionals can help diagnose complex developmental and behavioral issues
- Your child will be able to get the proper treatment
If you are worried that your child is exhibiting signs of developmental delay, learning difficulty, or behavioral problem, you might be wondering who can help figure out what is going on. The first person to ask for help from is your child’s primary pediatrician or another healthcare provider. Then, the doctor may refer you to a medical specialist that focuses on development issues. That specialist is called a developmental-behavioral pediatrician. Continue reading on to learn more about what a developmental-behavioral pediatrician is.
A Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician Evaluates Children With A Wide Range Of Developmental and Behavioral Issues
The main role of a developmental-behavioral pediatrician is to evaluate and diagnose children who are not developing, learning, or behaving the way their peers are.
Here are some of the issues or disorders that a developmental-behavioral pediatrician might evaluate for:
- Learning disorders such as writing difficulties (dysgraphia), math difficulties (dyscalculia), reading disability (dyslexia), coordination problems (dyspraxia), and other learning issues.
- Attention and behavioral disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, oppositional-defiant behavior (ODD), and conduct disorders
- Tics, Tourette syndrome, hair-pulling (trichotillomania), obsessive, compulsive disorder, stuttering, bruxism, and other habit disorders.
- Regulatory disorders such as feeding problems, discipline difficulties, sleep disorders, enuresis (bedwetting), and encopresis (soiling).
- Developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, spina bifida, visual impairments, and hearing impairments.
- Delayed development in speech, language, motor skills, or thinking.
- Developmental and behavioral problems that complicate the full range of pediatric illnesses and disabling conditions (e.g epilepsy, genetic disorders, prematurity, diabetes, asthma, cancer).
These Professionals Can Help Diagnose Complex Developmental and Behavioral Issues
A child may be referred to a developmental-behavioral pediatrician as part of an early intervention program. These are the professionals that can come up with a proper diagnosis for your child. For example, if your child is impatient or has emotional outbursts at school or in other places, you may suspect your child has ADHD. But there are other issues that may look like ADHD, such as anxiety disorder or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
Here are some of the steps that a developmental-behavioral pediatrician may do as part of evaluation and diagnosis:
- Taking a detailed medical history of your child.
- Asking for several medical exams.
- Observing and talking to your child.
- Asking you how your child acts in various settings.
- Asking feedback from teachers at school or workers at daycare.
A developmental-behavioral pediatrician may also ask your child to be evaluated by other medical specialists such as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or neuropsychologist.
All gathering all the data needed, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician will make a diagnosis. There might be cases when the pediatrician will hold off making a diagnosis right away. During these scenarios, the pediatrician may continue to monitor your child’s development.
Your child will be able to get the proper treatment
After the diagnosis, the developmental-behavioral pediatrician will provide the proper treatment for your child. Other medical professionals might be recommended as well to help with the treatment.
Oftentimes, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician will work closely with a team composed of a psychologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech-language pathologist, child neurologist, nurse practitioner, neurodevelopmental disabilities pediatrician, educational diagnostician, child psychiatrist, physician’s assistant, or clinical social worker.
Your child’s developmental-behavioral pediatrician will help by:
- Prescribing and monitoring medication intake if your child has associated conditions such as anxiety or ADHD
- Helping you understand what is the reason behind your child’s behavior.
- Coming up with potential discipline strategies.
- Recommending therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy treatment (CBT).
- Working closely with schools, preschools, and other organizations involved with the development care of your child.
- Working closely with parents and families.
Key Takeaway
In this article, we delved deeper into what a developmental-behavioral pediatrician is. If you think your child might have a developmental or behavioral issue, don’t hesitate to seek the help of developmental-behavioral pediatricians. These are the professionals who can evaluate, diagnose, and treat your child.
To find a developmental-behavioral pediatrician in the Philippines, contact Perpetual Help Medical Center (PHMC) — Las Pinas. Our Neurosciences Complex is led by medical experts fully capable of performing effective developmental-behavioral treatments and therapies.
