Specialists

[Guest guest]

Specialists can play a key role in the diagnosis of, and treatment for, developmental disorders. Parents and physicians should seek input from specialists as part of a "team approach" or a "multidisciplinary approach" that draws on special expertise and is geared to the unique needs of each child.

In a medical practice, physicians routinely refer children to specialists because the nature or severity of a condition requires special expertise. Similarly, many children with developmental disorders benefit from referrals to specialists with experience in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Each developmental disorder has multiple, and variable, impacts on a child. These impacts are best assessed and addressed by a range of clinicians and caregivers, working together in a team approach. This approach, also known as a "multidisciplinary approach," is built on the core concept that each participant, whether parent, physician, or other clinician, adds a new dimension of understanding and expertise.

To read the full article, please go to the First Signs Website at http://www.firstsigns.org/treatment/specialists.htm.

A portion of Specialists is reprinted with permission from First Signs, Inc. ©2001-2006 First Signs, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, please go to www.firstsigns.org or to the newly released book, Could It Be Autism? A Parent's Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps (Broadway Books), by First Signs founder and president, D. Wiseman. First Signs is dedicated to the early identification and intervention of children with developmental delays and disorders.