When Does a Child Need a Developmental Pediatrician?

Developmental pediatricians are medical practitioners that specialize in child development. This includes diagnosing, treating, and helping parents and children adjust to a variety of developmental, learning, and/or behavioral issues all the way from infancy to young adulthood.

Their primary purpose is to assess, diagnose, and support children that are experiencing difficulty in any aspect of their development. This includes them:

• Gross motor skills.
• Fine motor skills.
• Speech and language skills.
• Social communication and interaction skills
• Play and behavior.
• Attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
• Cognitive skills and functions.

In many cases, a child will experience problems in more than one area of their development. This may be the result of a medical injury but can also just be the product of the brain developing differently. In some cases, a child may be healthy but is simply developing differently than other children of the same age range.

While a regular pediatrician will offer a gamut of primary care services to children, developmental pediatricians are a little different as they have specialized experience and knowledge to assist children and parents in addressing specific developmental difficulties, struggles, and/or deficiencies.

While there are many children that don’t require the expertise of a developmental pediatrician, there are plenty that requires a higher level of support for certain developmental and behavioral issues. These specialists can provide the information, coaching, and medical intervention necessary to help your child thrive despite their unique challenges.

If your child has any kind of developmental, learning, or behavioral problem, a developmental pediatrician has the knowledge and expertise to identify and diagnose it.

A pediatric specialist will assess both the medical and psychosocial aspects of your child’s behavior for deeper insight into their developmental and/or behavioral problems. This includes identifying and diagnosing attention and behavioral disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and any conditions associated with it.

During a pediatric developmental evaluation, you should expect to spend a good chunk of time talking to your specialist about how your child has grown, developed, and behaved. Parents spend the most time with their children and know them better than anyone, so your input will be very important in helping your developmental pediatrician build a complete picture. In your first appointment/evaluation, you should also bring any medical reports regarding your child.

There will also be informal and/or formal observations of your child during the evaluation. This includes the pediatrician watching them play and socialize with others. Most children find this part of the process very enjoyable as it involves playing, drawing, building, and interacting with the clinicians.

If you give your consent, your developmental pediatrician may also consult with the professionals at your child’s school or daycare program, as well as any other medical or therapeutic specialists that interact with your child on a regular basis.

Once the evaluation is complete, your specialist will then discuss their finding, impressions, and recommendations moving forwards. You will typically be given a written summary of the results and recommendations and, with your consent, copies may be sent out to your attending family doctor and any other medical and/or educational professionals that may benefit from having this information.

If your child requires the support of a developmental pediatrician, contact us at Julia Barriga. Our team of licensed, experienced, and knowledgeable professionals would be happy to chat with you and answer any questions that you may have. We are conveniently located at 5001 East Busch Blvd Tampa, FL 33617. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We serve patients from Tampa FL, Terrace FL, Thonotosassa FL, Lutz FL, Greater Carrollwood FL, Lake Magdalene FL, Westchase FL, and Town ‘N’ Country FL.