FAQs Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is a Developmental
and Behavioral Pediatrician? 1. What is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician? A Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician is a medical doctor who has specialized training and experience in the field of child development and behavior. We are not neurologists, psychiatrists or psychologists, but we manage many behavioral and developmental problems such as ADHD, Dyslexia and other learning difficulties, Developmental Delays, Mental Retardation, Autistic Related Disorders and Speech-Language delays. In addition, we provide developmental follow up for premature infants. We work in conjunction with your child’s primary care doctor to take care of their developmental and behavioral needs. 2. What is an initial evaluation? Our initial evaluation consists of two visits. During the first visit, the doctor will interview parents to take a very thorough history, review the reason for the visit, your child’s education, early development; birth, health and your family’s history. During that visit our nurse will weigh and measure your child, check vision and hearing and administer certain developmental tests. During the second visit, or “feedback session,” the doctor will review the findings of our evaluations with you and will recommend a plan of intervention. This visit is very important because it gives the physician an opportunity to explain the issues identified in the evaluation. You will learn about your child’s strengths and weaknesses and what to do about them. Please do not bring your child to this visit, unless the doctor has instructed you to do so. 3. My child has already been tested. Why do developmental screening tests have to be administered during the first visit? Our battery of developmental screening tests allows us to obtain a first-hand clinical impression about your child. It is essential that we get this “clinical feel” for each patient. This is something that cannot be gained from a written report or test scores. 4. When are the new appointments for an initial evaluation scheduled? The first visit is scheduled in the morning. The second visit is usually done in the morning and, occasionally, in the early afternoon. Please allow yourself ample time to arrive. Take into account the Tampa morning traffic. 5. How long will the initial visit take and what will be done? Allow 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours for your first visit. You will be spending time alone with the physician to discuss your concerns about your child privately, and without the risk of hurting your son/daughter’s feelings. Therefore, your child may have to spend time in the waiting room by him/herself. If you think that he/she will need to be supervised in the waiting area, please make arrangements to bring someone who can properly watch your child. We have toys and a television available for their enjoyment, as well as a work table to do schoolwork. You will not receive a report or prescription from our center until the doctor has completed the feedback session. The doctor will recommend if further specialized tests are needed (such as IQ, Process and Achievement, speech, language, and occupational therapy evaluation). These tests (IQ, Process and Achievement) are performed by psychologists and therapists and are not included in the cost of our evaluation. We will incorporate into our report any relevant data from those other evaluations as needed. The second visit or feedback session will last 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours. During that time the doctor will meet with you to discuss the findings and recommendations of the evaluation (educational, behavioral, medical or developmental). A detailed written report will then be provided to you. Please do not bring any children to that appointment unless your doctor instructed you to do so. We want to make sure that you have an opportunity to meet with the doctor to review the findings candidly and without distractions. 6. How important it is to bring copies of previous evaluations? If your child has been evaluated in the past it is very important that we have the reports of those evaluations before your child’s visit. This will help the physician in the assessment of your child’s problems and will make the process more efficient and cost effective. 7. What is the purpose of the questionnaires? The questionnaires are designed to gather very important information about your child. It will help the doctors determine what the problems are and how to focus the evaluation process. It is essential to have this information to prepare the necessary reports summarizing the findings of our evaluation. The report that is prepared is very important to help your child receive the necessary services following the assessment. We must get information from your child’s teacher as well as the main caregivers because the problems may vary from one environment to another. 8. What do I tell my child about this visit? First, offer reassurance that there will be no painful procedures. We do not have needles or give shots in our office. Your child will be working with the nurse while you talk to the doctor, and may spend time alone in the waiting room. The nurse will check height, weight, vision and hearing and will also give vocabulary and fine motor skills tests. The doctor will do a physical and neurological examination, and will assess language and motor functions. There is no pass or fail in any of these tests. What we are trying to do is determine the child’s learning and behavioral style to find ways to help with schoolwork, behavior and getting along with friends. Infants and young children (3 years old and younger) are seen with their parents. 9. What happens if I have to cancel my child’s appointment? Our cancellation policy requires that you contact our office at least 24 hours before your child’s scheduled visit. If your appointment is on a Monday, the visit must be cancelled before 12 noon on the previous Friday. If the appointment is not properly cancelled, there will be a charge of $250.00. 10. What is the cost of an evaluation? Please see the financial policy and fee schedule page.
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