Children who fail to respond as expected to stimulant medication and show a more complex symptom pattern often benefit from a psychiatric consultation to further delineate the nature of the problem and consider a wider range of medication options. Other Behavioral And Emotional Disorders Many childhood behavioral and emotional disorders manifest themselves as school performance problems, inattention, and hyperactivity, which may be the symptoms that a parent first discusses with a physician. Comprehensive psychological and educational evaluation in conjunction with psychiatric consultation are needed to identify all the pertinent symptoms, diagnoses, and intervention strategies. Treatment tends to be most successful with ongoing individual and family therapy and psychiatric support. Summary Many types of developmental, learning, behavioral, and emotional disorders can impair a child's ability to function as expected.
Parents often seek the advice of their physician as a first step in addressing such problems.
Timely psychological and educational evaluation is critical for correct diagnosis and determination of services that are likely to be most effective. As these disorders tend to be chronic, periodic reassessment of the child's strengths and weaknesses is essential to optimize services and long-term outcome. Federal laws have increased services and opportunities for individuals with disabilities. For most, the future is much brighter if families can access services early and obtain ongoing evaluation and support. Physicians provide a critical link to such services and thus have both the opportunity and obligation to address developmental, behavioral, and emotional status in their patients and guide families toward appropriate evaluation and intervention.