Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics

Compassionate Care at Baystate Children's Hospital

Experts at Baystate Children’s Hospital provide compassionate care to evaluate children who may have developmental disabilities. Our focus is on providing comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for suspected autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities.

If you suspect your child has a developmental disability and/or autism-spectrum disorder, talk to your pediatrician about your concerns. Your child’s doctor may refer you to our developmental behavioral specialists. Due to the high need for these types of evaluations, developmental and behavioral pediatrics is not completing ADHD evaluations, but your pediatrician may be able to see your child for ADHD in primary care.

Assessment and Diagnosis

Our team at the Baystate Children’s Specialty Center assesses and diagnoses children who under age 5 who have symptoms that suggest autism spectrum disorder. We also assess children who have a genetic disorder that places them at risk for autism or intellectual disability. The process usually includes developmental and/or psychological testing if necessary. 

Our specialists will then recommend behavioral therapies other evidence based treatment to help your child thrive at home and school. We can give you a copy of our evaluation and send copies to your child’s primary doctor or other specialists.

Receiving Services Through Public Schools

If you are concerned regarding developmental delays, the quickest way to get an assessment is to seek out Early Intervention services for children under 3. If your child is at least 2 years and 9 months, you can also refer to the public schools.

A parent, pediatrician, early intervention provider, or other specialist can refer a child for special education services. Contact the special education department in your town for evaluation. A child doesn't need to have a medical diagnosis from our office to receive services through the schools or to get an evaluation. The school can evaluate the child, determine whether the child has developmental delays or social-emotional problems that will interfere with their ability to access the educational curriculum, and then provide services regardless of diagnosis. Educational services are based on the child’s needs. Schools have specific timelines that they must follow regarding testing. So, typically, the wait is not long.

Children who have special needs can attend school as early as age three. There is no requirement for the child to have particular self-care skills such as being toilet-trained.

Additional Resources

Currently, we are not providing evaluations for children age 5 and older.

These are some alternative proactive steps to take to help your child:

• Request a school evaluation (educational, psychological, speech, physical and/or occupational therapy) for learning and educational concerns.
• Request referrals for additional speech, physical, and occupational therapy services through your insurance for private speech and occupational therapy.
• If you have concerns about the mental health of your child, share your concerns with your pediatrician. They may refer you to behavioral health services in your community or child psychiatry as appropriate. Your pediatrician can use the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) as a resource for urgent medication consultations.