Concerned About Your Child’s Development? Don’t Put Care on Hold

Let’s start with some eye-opening news: Behavioral and developmental disorders and delays are all too common in children. Approximately 20 percent will be affected at some point before reaching adulthood. The specific issues are many and wide-ranging. They include autism, ADHD, language and speech delays, and motor delays, to name just a few.

Fortunately, many of these conditions can, in many cases, be resolved or improved through treatment. But getting treatment in a timely fashion is important, and that’s another problem. One reason is the widely held belief that treatment can’t begin without the guidance of a developmental behavioral pediatrician.

Certainly a developmental behavioral pediatrician is nice to have, but these health care professionals are also hard to find. In fact, there are only about 700 board-certified developmental behavioral pediatricians in the entire U.S. As a result, families can end up waiting as long as two years for an appointment.

That’s a long time to delay treatment for a child with developmental issues.

“Imagine waiting two years for an appointment regarding an issue that arises when the child is a toddler. The ship could possibly be righted during that time,” says David Burnham, MD, a pediatrician with LVPG Pediatrics. “Instead, that child loses two very important developmental years.”

Here’s some good news: There are clinical resources other than a developmental behavior pediatrician that can be leveraged to get a child assessed and treated.

Shelley Spence, Director of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services at LVHN, has played a key role in martialing LVHN resources to effectively respond to the need to treat area children with behavioral and/or developmental disorders as quickly and effectively as possible.

“I reviewed all the services we offer and saw that we are well positioned to support these patients and their families. We just need to keep the community informed of all our capabilities,” Spence says. “And informed of the fact that all our services are readily available.”

For the most part, the services Spence is referencing fall under the auspices of “outpatient rehabilitation.” Three specific types of therapy are included: occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy.

“Our occupational therapists treat issues involving fine motor skills, but also social and emotional regulation,” says physical therapist Christie Rodolico, DPT, Manager for Pediatric Outpatient Rehabilitation. “And several of our occupational therapists have been trained and certified in administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) test, a standardized assessment commonly used to evaluate children for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our physical therapists address gross motor developmental delays, and also disorders of the pelvic floor, including bowel and bladder issues. Our speech therapists not only support communication, language and speech sound production, but also the development of social skills via group services in which two or three children practice their skills together,” Rodolico says. “Those are just a few of the many services we offer.”

Having trouble with a child who doesn’t sleep well? That’s another issue that an LVHN therapist can help you with.

“One point that deserves emphasis is the fact that although we are defined as pediatric services, we treat patients through adolescence,” Rodolico says. “That means patients from birth to age 18.”

Whatever your child’s age, if you have a concern about his or her development, behavior, cognitive skills, social skills or mood, speak up. If someone says you must wait to have your concern addressed, seek out others who might give you a different response. Or at least ask what you can do to help your child in the meantime.

And know that to continue to meet the community’s growing demand for treatment, Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital continues to add services, service locations, therapists and training for therapists.

“We really care about our community and the parents and their children, and we do our best every day to provide the right services to support every child’s development,” says Spence. “We want everyone to know that we are here. Reach out to us.”