Developmental Pediatricians
Visiting a developmental pediatrician can be beneficial for several reasons, especially if you have concerns about your child's growth, behavior, & development. Developmental pediatricians are medical specialists that focus on addressing & managing developmental & behavioral issues in children.
Developmental pediatricians will provide less general pediatric primary care services, focusing on the evaluation & treatment/ management of conditions including developmental delays affecting language, speech, & motor skills, nonverbal learning difficulties, concerns with social skills, behavioral & or performance difficulties, mental health conditions, & various health conditions.
Delayed Speech and Motor Skills
If you witness your child having delayed development in language, speech, motor skills, & thinking capacity, make sure to make an appointment with a doctor. These could be indications that your child is struggling with their mental growth. Speech impediments can be worked through with the proper care, especially when they are identified early on during your child’s development process.
Problems with Regular Behaviors
Signs that your child may need a developmental pediatrician include observing that they appear to have basic regulatory disorders like a feeding problem, sleeping disorders, difficulties with discipline, complications with toilet-training issues, & other bathroom problems like enuresis, which is a professional term for bedwetting, & encopresis, which refers to soiling themselves in bed.
Learning Problems
Learning complications are often harder to identify for parents, especially considering that they aren’t present with their kids in their classrooms during the school year. Dyslexia refers to someone having trouble reading, figuring out speech sounds, & relating to letters & words. Problems with math, writing difficulties, & basic learning problems in school are other red flags that should make a parent concerned about their child having developmental issues.
Attention Issues
Common attention & behavioral problems like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder & conditions associated with depression, anxiety, oppositional-defiant behavior, & conduct problems are all reasons for a doctor to get involved. Let a professional make the appropriate recommendations to apply pediatric help for development limitations in a child. There is no reason to get overwhelmed & jump to conclusions before you receive an analysis from a reliable pediatrician.
