A behavioral pediatrician is a medical doctor that has completed four years of medical school, followed by a residency in pediatrics, and then gone on to complete training in pediatric developmental-behavioral issues. They are able to evaluate, counsel, and treat not just children and adolescents who are experiencing developmental and behavioral difficulties but also work with the entire family.

They can work with pediatric patients, who are under the age of 18, for a variety of issues such as learning disorders, attention, and behavioral disorders, habit disorders such as Tourette syndrome, regulatory disorders, developmental disabilities, delayed development, and chronic illnesses or disabling conditions that are complicated by a behavioral or developmental problem. They practice in a wide range of settings including hospitals, clinics, schools, rehabilitation centers, private practices, and community centers. Their focus is on how the child’s behavior or development issues are affecting their family and home life, as well as advocating for the child in their school and care settings.

When it comes to your child’s health and wellbeing, their pediatrician or family doctor should be your first point of contact for any concerns you have. Their pediatrician will perform regular monitoring of your child’s development and behavior as part of their ongoing well-child visits to catch any early signs of issues that can be treated and monitored. Your child’s teacher or caregiver, if they are in regular childcare, may also flag any concerns they have about your child’s behavior or development. Your pediatrician may be able to provide treatment or may refer you to a board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatrician for a more specialized diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

A developmental pediatrician has knowledge and experience with a variety of behavioral, developmental, or learning disorders in children under the age of 18, including, but not limited to, anxiety disorder, autism, ADHD, dyslexia, cerebral palsy and sleep disorders. The developmental pediatrician will work with the family as well as the child to determine how these issues are affecting the family balance as the first and most important issue to resolve.

There are many behavioral and developmental disorders that can affect children. The most common disorder experienced by children, that can continue on into adulthood, is thought to be attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly referred to as ADHD. There are 3 different categories of ADHD, referred to as presentations as they describe how the disorder presents itself through the child. They are inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive and a combination of the two.

The appearance of symptoms will vary in how and when they show up, however, a child must present a minimum of six symptoms to be diagnosed under a specific presentation. The age at which children are diagnosed with ADHD varies, with some children showing symptoms as young as 3 and others not being diagnosed until they reach adulthood. The condition can change and evolve throughout the child’s life, meaning that symptoms can come and go, and the diagnosis can change over time from one presentation to the other, or to a combination of the two.

If you suspect your child is having developmental or behavioral issues, or if it has been flagged to you by their teacher or an outside caregiver, your first point of contact should be your child’s pediatrician. Your pediatrician can perform their own exam or may have noticed areas of concern as part of their regular well-child visit. They will be able to provide you with some recommendations for a developmental-behavioral pediatrician based on the symptoms or disorder your child is experiencing. It can be a sensitive subject, but you can also ask friends with young children for recommendations to a specialist that they may know of.

Chances are good you can find information on the internet or through social media offering group and family support for a variety of childhood developmental or behavioral disorders. At Pediatric Associates of Frisco TX, we have a full team of pediatric specialists who can offer a wide range of services to young patients in order to get them the care that they need. We serve patients from Frisco TX, Little Elm TX, The Colony TX, McKinney TX, Prosper TX, Aubrey TX, Oak Point TX, Lakewood Village TX, Plano TX, and Dallas TX.