Our Approach for Development Disorders – Kokilaben Hospital

Our Approach

Paediatric Neurologist: You firstly meet a Paediatric Neurologist who will diagnose your child based on several aspects. There are a myriad of Paediatric Neurological conditions, with varying degree of severity and scope of treatment, that range from common and relatively benign febrile seizures to uncommon yet complex neuro-metabolic disorders. Affected children may have multiple disabilities and complex medical needs. Depending on the symptoms/investigations, Paediatric Neurologist makes a patient specific plan of management.

Neurorehabilitation Physician: Children with developmental disorders have multiple and complex rehabilitation needs. The most important aspect in the management is to identify and treat the impairments to prevent occurrence or worsening of the disability. This requires comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation which is performed by a Neurorehabilitation Physician. Rehabilitation plan consists of medications, interventions and goal-directed rehab plan which is implemented by a trained multidisciplinary team whose efforts are patient-centric and coordinated by regular time-bound meetings.

Neuro-Developmental Therapists: After diagnosing and treating the child an individualised treatment plan is drawn by the paediatric neurologist. Therapists specialised in different disciplines treat the child further.

The following therapists may treat your child based on the individualised plan:

Clinical Psychologist: Based on what the disorder is, your child is consulted by a clinical psychologist. Clinical psychologist focuses on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioural disorders. Some of the more common disorders that might be treated include learning disabilities, mental retardation, autism and even psychiatric disorders like anxiety/ stress disorders, eating disorders etc. They work with children over a series of sessions in order to diagnose, evaluate and manage their condition.

Physiotherapists: They work with children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophies, ataxic disorders, brain injury resulting in motor disabilities, etc.

They can help recover from brain injury, reduce pain and stiffness, and improve mobility. Physiotherapist can also help children prevent further injury by working out an appropriate Neuro-developmental therapy and exercise plan.

With physical therapy children learn to move from place to place, sit, walk , run, etc., in a safe and effective manner.

Occupational Therapists: They help children improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. They work with children with autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, developmental coordination disorders, etc. They help children not only by improving their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also plan therapies with an aim to make them independent.

Speech and language therapists (SALTs): Speech and Language Pathologist caters to the needs of children having social communication disorders, swallowing difficulties, specific language impairment etc. They make individualized assessment and therapy plans to maximize the function of the speech and swallowing apparatus of the patient.

Special Educators: Treating your child only on basic level will not help them for life. Education is a necessity! And as rightly quoted by Ignacio Estrada – If a child cant learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. Children with learning difficulties require unique instructions by specially trained professionals to help them achieve their highest potential. Keeping this special need of children with developmental disorders in mind, we have a special education teacher who works with children having a variety of disabilities. We perform educational assessments, deliver remedial education as well as transitional educational services.

Allied Specialists:
Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon: It is quite possible the child develops other issues while one disorder is being treated. A childs musculoskeletal problems are different from those of an adult. Because children are still growing, their bodys response to injuries, infections, and deformities may be quite different than what would be seen in a full-grown person. Orthopaedics involvement helps diagnose and treat the musculoskeletal problems in children.

Psychiatrist: Your child may also be treated by the psychiatrist –a mental health professional and physician best qualified to distinguish between physical and psychological causes of both mental and physical distress. Because of extensive medical training, the psychiatrist understands the bodys functions and the complex relationship between emotional illness and other medical illness.

Dietician: Paediatric dieticians can play a large role in ensuring children and teenagers get the proper nutrition their bodies need. Especially children having problems in development may have special dietary needs. Proper nutrition helps ensure optimum outcomes.

Geneticist: Geneticists help families understand whether some conditions are hereditary (caused by genetic anomalies) and offer testing to family members who may be at risk for having children with similar problems.
Other Specialists: From vaccination to paediatric emergencies, everything can be treated right here. Your child will receive complete care under one roof which is essential for better results.