Learn About Developmental Pediatricians
If your child has any learning, behavioral or developmental problem, you need to take them to a developmental pediatrician. It is important to note that there is a difference between a pediatrician and a developmental pediatrician. Pediatricians are medical doctors who treat children from birth until they are teenagers. If you have a child, then you have most likely taken him or her to see a pediatrician at least once. A child is however taken to a developmental pediatrician if his or her behavior is out of the ordinary. Developmental pediatricians undergo more training than regular pediatricians so as to understand children behavior as well as their social development.
The law dictates that pediatricians have to sit for a special comprehensive examination for them to be certified developmental pediatricians. If you begin to see signs of developmental problems in your child, ensure that you consult a good developmental pediatrician and you can get in touch with one through your pediatrician.
What developmental pediatricians do is evaluate children, recommend appropriate treatments and advice both the children and their family members on how to go about with their lives even after diagnosis. Take your child to a developmental pediatrician if they have problems doing basic things in school such as writing or solving math problems. It is important for parents and teachers to not call their children slow learners because their learning difficulty could be because of an underlying medical issue. Dyslexia is a common disorder today and you should not make a child feel like it is their fault for having this disorder.
Apart from handling learning disorders, developmental pediatricians also handle regulatory disorders such as bed wetting and soiling well past the typical age, sleeping disorders and feeding difficulties. They also handle behavioral disorders such as anxiety, depression and defiant behavior. Consult a developmental pediatrician if you think that your child is too moody because there could be an underlying cause. You should also consult them if your child has delayed speech and motor skills.
Developmental pediatricians work with a lot of professionals including child psychiatrists and physical therapists to try and help children with various disorders. Developmental pediatricians are mainly found in large hospitals and clinics. You can also find one online but you need to be careful and ensure that they are certified before you leave your child in their hands. Apart from asking to see certification, you should also ask to see an up to date license. A good developmental pediatrician will want to work closely with you and your child’s school to not only understand the root cause of their problem but to also offer a solution.