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Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Clinical Affairs

Dr. Bar sitting at a table discussing clinical practices

The Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics provides outpatient care at Scottish Rite for Children and Children’s Medical Center Dallas in nine specialized clinics.

In addition to our expert clinical faculty, our team of advanced practice nurses is essential for providing quality care to our patients.

  • Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic

    Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic

    The Clinic offers comprehensive developmental-behavioral evaluations and care for children from birth through adolescence.

    We strive to help families understand:

    • The complex developmental processes of children and how these fit into the context of their families and communities
    • The influences of biological, psychological, and social factors on the cognitive, language, and social-emotional development of children
    • The mechanisms for the prevention or treatment of developmental and behavioral disorders

    Areas of expertise include:

    • Delayed development in speech, language, motor skills, and thinking ability
    • Attention and behavioral disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its comorbidities
    • Developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, communication disorders, visual and hearing impairments
    • Learning disorders
    • Oppositional-defiant behavior/disorder
    • Anxiety disorders
    • Behavioral and developmental problems complicating or secondary to chronic illnesses and conditions such as genetic disorders, epilepsy, prematurity, diabetes, asthma, and cancer
    • Follow-up of premature babies and other high-risk newborns

    Services available:

    • Diagnostic evaluation
    • Developmental-behavioral assessment
    • Neuropsychological assessment
    • Medication consultation and management
    • Speech and language evaluation and therapy
    • Educational assessments and support

    For referrals:

    Please fax the general referral form found on the Referring Provider Tools page to 214-456-5702. In order to expedite the referral process, please specify the reason for the appointment with as many details as possible. For additional questions, please contact the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic at 214-456-5558.

    Faculty contacts: Veronica Bordes Edgar, Ph.D., and Sari Bar, D.O.

  • Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders

    Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders

    • The Center is located at Scottish Rite for Children.
    • We’re staffed by a multidisciplinary team of developmental-behavioral pediatricians, clinical and school psychologists, educational diagnosticians, speech-language pathologists, and academic language therapists.
    • Children served in the diagnostic clinic are between the ages of 5 and 15 with academic learning problems and associated disorders. Each consultation involves extensive information gathering and careful consideration of all factors that could contribute to academic difficulties. Appointments are offered only after review of information from parents and educators. There are no financial or insurance requirements.
    • We provide outreach and staff development programs for teachers and schools on dyslexia and learning disorder identification and management.
    • Our team develops curricula and trains educators who provide intervention for dyslexia.
    • We host an annual seminar to strengthen the knowledge and skills of community physicians and affiliated providers on the identification and management of developmental-behavioral issues.
    • We host a monthly developmental pediatrics journal club for medical and behavioral health professionals.
    • Current research projects focus on reading intervention, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and the genetics of dyslexia.
  • Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine

    Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine

    • Dedicated to improving adolescent health through health care delivery, education, and research
    • Staffed by faculty with special interest and training in the areas of adolescent and sports medicine
    • Cares for patients 11 to 21 years old and welcomes referrals from community physicians and clinics
    • Approximately 3,000 annual visits
    • Research interests include racial and ethnic disparities and the human papillomavirus
  • Down Syndrome Clinic

    Down Syndrome Clinic

    The Down Syndrome Clinic is a specialty clinic designed to provide comprehensive medical care, with a primary focus on behavioral health needs, to children with Down syndrome. A team of providers from different disciplines comes together to provide a variety of services, often within one office visit.

    Providers include a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, developmental-behavioral pediatrics fellow, developmental nurse practitioner, geneticist, clinical nurse specialist, genetic counselor, and social worker.

    Services offered:

    • Physical examinations, referral for necessary tests, and lab work
    • Developmental assessments and recommendations for further testing if needed
    • Review of school records and school educational testing
    • Genetic counseling, family history analysis, and discussion of recurrence risk and reproductive options
    • Psychosocial assessment and social work support
    • Care coordination with medical specialists, early childhood intervention programs, therapy services, community resources, and support groups
    • Financial counseling and referral for supplemental income programs
    • Parent-to-parent support and networking opportunities with representatives from the Down Syndrome Guild
    • A transition clinic when the child is approaching adulthood to assess skills and independence level

    Faculty contact: Sari Bar, D.O.

  • Referral and Evaluation of At-Risk Children Program (REACH)

    Referral and Evaluation of At-Risk Children Program (REACH)

    • REACH is staffed by board-certified child abuse pediatricians, experienced pediatric nurse practitioners, a clinical psychologist, social workers, a child life specialist, and program coordinators.
    • We provide medical evaluations of cases of suspected child physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect.
    • Our special multidisciplinary clinic for children diagnosed with failure to thrive – the WIN (Weight Intervention and Nutrition) Clinic – provides services to children with and without Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement.
    • Medical evaluations are done in the inpatient setting, emergency department, at Parkland Memorial Hospital's burn unit, or in the outpatient REACH Clinic.
    • We provide medical education to medical students, pediatric residents, and the local medical community on topics related to child abuse medical evaluations.
    • We host a monthly educational program known as Child Abuse and Neglect Grand Rounds on a variety of medical topics related to child abuse and neglect. Continuing medical education (CME) and continuing nursing education (CNE) credits are offered for attendees. The talks are attended by a multidisciplinary audience that includes medical staff, local advocacy groups, CPS, attorneys, and law enforcement agencies. Monthly sessions occur on the first Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. between September and June.
    • Medical providers and social workers work closely with CPS and law enforcement agencies throughout North Texas to help identify and protect abused and neglected children. REACH is closely linked with the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center and the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County. Our medical team also works with CPS throughout North Texas to provide expert medical case review and assessments on a variety of cases (a program known as the Forensic Assessment Center Network). REACH providers are called to testify in criminal and family court proceedings regularly to educate juries and judges on the medical issues involved in cases of child abuse and neglect.
    • We’re developing a subspecialty fellowship in child abuse pediatrics to train young pediatricians in this new subspecialty.
    • We’re expanding research efforts in areas aimed at improving the identification of abuse and the primary and secondary prevention of child abuse.

    Faculty contact: Suzanne Dakil, M.D.

    The Child Abuse Program at UT Southwestern and Children's is poised to help improve the lives of victimized children in North Texas by being a strong advocate and medical voice for this vulnerable population.

  • Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence

    Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence

    • Dedicated exclusively to providing comprehensive primary medical care for children in the custody of CPS
    • Provides placement exams, medical homes, and pre-adoption physicals for children from infancy to age 19 living in out-of-home placement due to child abuse or neglect
    • Staffed by faculty and pediatric nurse practitioners experienced in treating children who are in foster care as a result of abuse or neglect
    • Works with CPS and community agencies to optimize each child’s health, health care, safety, and well-being
    • Serves any child in foster or kinship care, regardless of county of residence
    • Approximately 1,600 annual visits
  • Pediatric Palliative Care

    Pediatric Palliative Care

    The pediatric palliative care team is made up of physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses with expertise in palliative care for children. Its mission is to provide an extra layer of support for children with complex, difficult-to-treat disease and their families. The team provides services in the inpatient and outpatient settings.

    Because all children are unique, the support we provide is individualized and varies through the changing phases of illness.

    • We are experts in pain optimization and symptom management, particularly when symptoms are severe or refractory to traditional measures.
    • We have special training in communication, and we work to engender clarity and transparency between patients, families, and health care providers. In so doing, we help families negotiate the complexities of advanced illness and make health care decisions in accordance with their values.
    • In some cases, we work with patients who will die from their disease. In such instances, we work with patients and their families to navigate the end of life and the grief that follows.
    • Our goal is to enhance the quality of life for all those we serve.
  • Complex Care Medical Services

    Complex Care Medical Services

    This Complex Care Specialty Clinic remains a unique model. It serves as the primary medical home for this high-risk cohort of children with multiple medical and surgical conditions and, for many, the requirement of technological support daily. Primary pediatric medical home care is critical to minimizing hospitalizations and emergency department visits. The program provides high-level care coordination for families as they navigate multiple other specialties across the UT Southwestern/Children’s Medical Center Dallas landscape.

  • Spina Bifida Program

    Spina Bifida Program

    Housed at Scottish Rite for Children, this program was one of nine sites selected in 2021 by an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) initiative to demonstrate quality-improvement changes that enhance structured transition services for these youth and their families.

    Outcomes from that project are now actively integrated into the routine clinical content of clinic visits. The efforts, in partnership with the AAP, have led to extended training for other programs around the nation. Integrated care from UTSW pediatric urology, pediatric neurosurgery, developmental-behavioral pediatrics, and orthopaedic surgery faculty supports hundreds of families across Texas.

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