Institute of Epilepsy and Congenital CNS Defects

• Childhood epilepsy
• Tics
• Tourette syndrome
• Cerebral palsy
• CNS tumors

Developmental disorders and behavioral problems are frequently encountered by pediatricians and family physicians. According to recent studies, 12% to 16% of children have developmental or behavioral problems. Identifying and addressing these issues is of great importance for providing timely care.

Family physicians and pediatricians are the primary specialists whom children visit in the first 5 years of life, and these clinics are ideal settings for developmental and behavioral screening. Screening consists of brief assessment procedures aimed at identifying children who may need more intensive diagnosis and evaluation.

Developmental assessment can lead to a specific diagnosis, a comprehensive interdisciplinary management plan, or alternatively — the exclusion of significant problems. The legal system requires physicians to urgently refer children with suspected developmental delays to specialized pediatric neurology clinics for necessary early intervention.

Recommendations: all infants should be screened for developmental delays.

Objectives of pediatric neuropathology:

• familiarity with developmental problems, risk factors, examination techniques, and community resources such as early intervention, school and other community programs, consultations, referrals, and interventions;
• skills in administering and interpreting current reliable screening technologies;
• identification of medical, genetic, and environmental risk factors;
• thorough parental history; presentation of examination results to family members using a culturally sensitive family-centered approach;