Every parent is concerned about their child’s growth and well being. Most children, with care and love and proper visits to the pediatrician, will grow to be healthy and vibrant children. However, some children suffer from different ailments and behavioural challenges. If your child suffers from learning or behavioural problems then a developmental pediatrician is what you need. If they are having speech and learning difficulty and their behaviour begins to change for the worse then action needs to be taken.
What is a developmental pediatrician?
A developmental pediatrician is an accredited pediatrician who is also trained and certified in sub specialities such as developmental behavioural pediatrics. The person should have been practicing for at least five years and 50 percent of their practice should focus on developmental behavioral issues.
Developmental pediatricians are trained in identifying behavioral differences. They observe your child’s overall developmental progress and also care for your child.
Here are some of the behavioral and developmental difficulties that developmental pediatricians treat.
- Hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit.
- Depression, anxiety and oppositional behaviour
- Sleep disorders, bedwetting or enuresis and various regulatory disorders
- Spina bifida, visual and hearing impairments, autism spectrum and cerebral palsy.
- Delayed motor skills and thinking ability
- Delayed speech development
Developmental pediatrician can be found in clinics, hospitals, community centres, rehabilitation centres and major medical centres. Developmental pediatricians also collaborate with various professionals such as speech language pathologist, child psychiatrist, neurodevelopmental disabilities pediatrician and a nurse practitioner.
They also work closely with schools, parents and families. Developmental pediatricians understand full well that a child’s behaviour and development first begin in the family and home. They observe the effect of the problem on the family as well the child and the overall view of the family towards the problem.
They can also assist in diagnosing issues such as ADHD. Your pediatrician can also refer you to a developmental pediatrician.
To be able to provide the proper assessment and care of your child’s development and if they are really in need of a developmental pediatrician, they will do an evaluation. This can include
- Having your child go through a medical exam
- Talking and observing your child’s behaviour
- Questioning how the child will react in certain situations
- Acquiring a comprehensive history of your child
- Getting feedback from others such as day care or teachers.
They can also want your child to be evaluated by other professionals or specialists such as a physical therapist or neuro psychologist. Once this is done the doctor can now give a diagnosis of your child and if they need a developmental pediatrician dubai or other factors are at play.
It is better to catch such problems early enough though it’s never too late to inquire with a pediatrician dubai when problems occur.
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