If your child has a developmental delay, speech delay, delay in sitting and standing, learning, or behavioral problem, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and a child neurologist has the training and expertise to evaluate for your child. Childhood is a period of growth, learning, and development. With increasing age, your child has changes in height, weight, learning new physical and social skills. If you have concerns about your child’s behavior or development, child neurologist, pediatric neurologist and developmental pediatricians are the best doctors to evaluate your child. A developmental and behavioral pediatrician assesses children’s development, learning skills, and behavior and suggests remedies. They try to find underlying causes for deviations in development and behavior and coordinate treatment for best mind development of your child

Developmental-behavioural paediatricians are medical doctors who have completed

• Three years of residency training in paediatrics
• Additional subspecialty training in developmental-behavioural paediatrics, child neurology, paediatric neurology, neurodevelopmental paediatrics

Child development specialist or developmental paediatricians evaluate, and provide treatment for children, adolescents, and their families with a wide range of developmental and behavioural difficulties, such as

• Learning disorders including dyslexia, writing difficulties, math disorders, and other school-related learning problems
• Attention and behavioural disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and associated conditions including oppositional-defiant behaviour, conduct problems, depression, and anxiety disorders
• Tics, Tourette syndrome, and other habit disorders
• Regulatory disorders including sleep disorders, feeding problems, discipline difficulties, complicated toilet-training issues, enuresis (bedwetting), and encopresis (soiling)
• Developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and visual and hearing impairments
• Delayed development in speech, language, motor skills, and thinking ability, speech delay
• Behavioural and developmental problems complicating the full range of paediatric chronic illnesses and disabling conditions (for example, genetic disorders, epilepsy, prematurity, diabetes, asthma, cancer)

The Evaluation Process by a developmental Pediatrician include

• A detailed history of your child
• Medical exam, development assessment
• Observing and talking to your child, observing play and interaction of your child
• Asking how your child behavior in a variety of settings such as home, temple, malls, play schools, parties, garden
• Child behavior report from teachers, child’s school or day care

Other specialist evaluation may also be needed such as occupational therapist, a physical therapist, physiotherapist, speech therapist, neuropsychologist.

After detailed history and examination, the development paediatrician doctor may make a clinical diagnosis or provisional diagnosis. Sometimes, diagnosis can be made immediately. In some situations, the diagnosis may not be clear and may need specialist tests. The development paediatrician doctor may like to review your child periodically to monitor his development and progress with you.

Every child is different, of course. Some children do not crawl at the expected age but learn to walk early. Others walk late but begin speaking early.

Most children who worry their parents by not achieving developmental milestones turn out to be fine. But you shouldn’t ignore delayed development.  Child development is assessed in 7 domains such as

• Gross motor
• Fine motor development
• Self-help
• Problem-solving
• Social/emotional
• Receptive language
• Expressive language.

Child can have selective problems in one or more domains, and yet be normal or advance in other domains. In such situations, it is vital that you seek expert consultation from Dr Sumeet Dhawan, who is an expert in child developmental disorders. You should not delay consultation, even if child is well in all domains

Some children have normal intelligence and physical development, yet can have behavioral issues. Behavior like temper tantrums, hitting, biting, breaking objects, destructive behaviors and aggression may upset you but are quite normal at age three. These issues may cause social embarrassment or you would avoid going outdoors, because it is difficult to control your child in such situations, . A clinic consultation with a experienced pediatric neurologist Dr Sumeet Dhawan, can help you identifying the cause of these problems and can suggest remedial measures.

Most of of the developmental problems are caused by genetics changes in chromosomes, past illnesses (like newborn meningitis, neonatal blood infections, head injuries) or experiences, or of uncertain origin. Medicines may be needed in specific situations. Treatment of these development disorders is done by training, education, and behavior modification. You will need patience and determination to see results