Comprehensive Care for Child Developmental Disorders
Loyola Medicine offers consultations for families, pediatricians and primary care doctors who have concerns about the development and behavior of children under 10. Children with developmental or behavioral problems may have difficulty with communication, taking care of themselves or have problems meeting milestones typical for their age.
Loyola’s developmental pediatrician works with an experienced team to care for children with disabilities, behavior issues and developmental issues—including physical, learning and language delays. We provide evaluations and treatment recommendations for a wide range of conditions, including:
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Attention difficulties, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
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Autism spectrum disorders
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Developmental delays
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Difficult behaviors
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Executive functioning problems
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Learning difficulties, including dyslexia
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Reading comprehension problems
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School problems
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Speech delay
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Trouble making friends
At Loyola, we take a comprehensive approach to caring for all children, taking into account the child’s medical history, family life, social environment and emotional health when determining the cause for symptoms and developing a treatment plan.
Our team works closely with Loyola’s child psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, pediatricians, social workers and speech, occupational and physical therapists to provide the most comprehensive care for every patient.
The approach at Loyola also includes partnering with parents, therapists and educators to get a complete picture of a child’s strengths and challenges, then devising a custom plan to ensure success for the child at home, in the classroom and in the community.
Why Choose Loyola for Child Development?
Loyola is committed to the compassionate diagnosis and care of children with developmental and behavioral conditions. Our development and behavior team is specially trained in the treatment of children and provides care in a compassionate, family-friendly environment.
Our clinicians welcome families to be involved in all aspects of diagnosis and treatment; they are available to answer any questions and address any concerns you might have. We are also leaders in the community as advocates for children who need special help and accommodations in schools.
How Are Child Developmental Disorders Diagnosed?
Developmental problems in a child may be noticed by a healthcare provider during a well-child visit, or when a parent or educator notices that a child is not behaving normally or missing developmental milestones. The goal of Loyola’s development and behavior team is to provide a diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment plan.
Our specialists will start by obtaining a developmental history, making observations of your child and identifying risk factors. Screening tools, interviews and special tests help us to make an assessment of where your child is having trouble. Diagnostic services include:
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Autism spectrum evaluations and testing
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Developmental-behavioral evaluations
How are Child Developmental Disorders Treated?
Your child’s doctor at Loyola will provide an individualized plan of care for your child’s unique condition, considering his or her everyday activities and medical history. Suggested treatment may include:
Our clinical team will offer information about therapies, early intervention and special education services, along with guidance about how to access these resources in your community.
Parental education is an important component of our services, and we will give you guidance on the best ways to teach, help and care for your child. We can also make a referral to an appropriate early intervention service if your child is age 3 or younger, or to a special education service if your child is older than 3.
Unique Programs to Accelerate Treatment of Child Developmental Disorders
When a baby is born to soon, parents often worry about how their early birth will impact the child’s development.
The development and behavior specialists at Loyola work with our obstetricians and NICU team to offer developmental follow-up for babies born prematurely or during a high-risk birth to help families support their child’s development and to help them link up to the appropriate therapy services when needed.
