|
|
 |
|
|
Clinical Services
Diagnostic and Treatment Services
Developmental Pediatricians
Nurse Practitioners
Psychologists
Occupational Therapists
Education and Coaching Specialists
Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Educational Services
Emotional Problems of Typical Children and Adults
AD/HD, Learning Difficulties and Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorders
Developmental Disorders, Behavioral and Mood Disorders
Families in Transition, Relationships, Somatic Concerns, Chronic Illness
Melmed Center...Care Pathway The goal of the Melmed Center is to provide family-centered care and support for you and your child. The Melmed Center uses a team approach. Each child has a core team usually made up of a nurse practitioner, a developmental pediatrician, and you! Your input lets us know what we can do to meet your needs. You know your child the best!
Our care pathway provides:
- A plan of action for your visits
- A thorough evaluation.
- The establishment of a diagnostic profile.
- Initiation of comprehensive and therapeutic intervention plans.
- Ongoing support, guidance, and monitoring of your child's progress.
- Help in achieving optimal results.
- Continuity and consistency in our treatment approach.
- Clear communication between team members, you as parents, and your child.
Important DetailsInitial visits are scheduled with a developmental pediatrician, a nurse practitioner, or one of our educational psychologists. At this visit a complete history, a physical examination and developmental testing is usually performed. Once your child's diagnostic profile is established, an intervention plan is designed.
Developmental PediatricsMedical assessments at the Melmed Center incorporate a variety of modalities starting with a good history. Information is gathered from a variety of sources. First the primary presenting problems are identified. Parents complete questionnaires regarding their children’s medical history starting from the prenatal period all the way up to the present. This includes the pregnancy and birth history, early developmental course, school performance, social style, behavioral issues along with family history and other pertinent information. The child functioning at school is ascertained through the use of various questionnaires completed by teachers, therapists and caregivers. This process is essential diagnostically but interestingly enough it is often therapeutic in and of itself.
Physical and neurological examinations are completed and a neurodevelopmental testing is performed. This process takes place in a variety of ways depending on the issues at hand. Developmental testing instruments are utilized along with measures of behavior. Direct observation of the child is critical. Sometimes computer based tests are incorporated. The child‘s voice must be heard regardless of any existing communication challenges and children are kept central and are always the focus of our efforts.
The next step is to make a diagnosis. Often further testing or consultation might be required or another appointment is needed to more specifically delineate the diagnostic presentation. The child’s strength and weaknesses are identified and from that overall diagnostic profile a plan of intervention can be constructed. This plan is reviewed with the family at the conclusion of the visit
Our integrated treatment philosophy incorporates a variety of therapeutic modalities with emphasis placed on developmental, educational and behavioral treatment although nutriceutical, pharmacological are used as well. While treatment is child-focused, consideration of family issues is paramount and treatment planning will address that as well. Referrals for laboratory studies or for consultation are made.
Reports of the initial consultation are sent to the referring physician and to the families themselves. Ongoing follow-up is an essential part of the assessment process and treatment recommendations are reviewed depending on the child’s course.
Four to six weeks later, a developmental pediatrician or a nurse practitioner will see your child. Further testing might occur at this visit. Questions from the previous visit and the results of the evaluation, referrals, or tests are reviewed with you. If medication or other interventions have been started, the effects of the treatment are monitored.
Ongoing follow up visits help facilitate the best outcome for your child. These visits are usually alternated between the doctor and the nurse practitioner. Occasionally a different team member might even better serve your needs. Let us know if you think this is the case for you. Periodic re-evaluations are scheduled to determine how well your child is doing and if all his or her needs are being adequately met.
Referrals to other team members can be made at any time and can be initiated by any team member including you!
These might include:
- Occupational Therapists
- Psychologist/Psychiatrists
- Educational Strategists
- Coaches
- Tutors
- TOVA (computerized ADHD testing)
You and/or your child might benefit from participating in our innovative and educational support groups. Girl Talk, Clue Breakers, Focus, and Teen Talk are a few of them. Specialized teams are designed to meet the needs of special populations including those with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD and Preschoolers.
The ADHD Team might consist of:
- Developmental Pediatricians
- Nurse Practitioners
- Coaches
- Psychologists
- Tutors
- Occupational Therapists
- Educational strategists
- Social Support Classes
- School Visits
- Further Testing, e.g., the TOVA
- Behavior Specialists
- You!
Click HERE for Registration Form
You and your health care provider can determine which doctors and which approach would work best for you and your child. You know your child best.
Call us! We'd love to talk to you!
This site looks much better in a browser that supports current web standards, but it is accessible to any browser.
Download one now
Some parts of this site will not work effectively on this older browser.
Please consider
updating your browser
|