Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Education
The vulnerable children served throughout our integrated programs benefit from individualized care that is optimally coordinated across medical, mental health, and developmental disciplines.
The Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics is built on the core value of providing integrated, person-centered care and is dedicated to the training of medical students, residents, fellows, and graduate students in mental health to extend and improve upon the model. The care of vulnerable children with complex biopsychosocial issues is best delivered when clinicians with different professional perspectives combine their unique skill sets.
We focus on physician and psychologist education and training. Our medical and psychology graduate students, pediatric residents, psychology and neuropsychology interns, and pediatric and neuropsychology fellows care for patients in several facilities.
Key areas of training involve:
- Evaluation of development and behavior
- Treatment of developmental disabilities
- Direct teaching in clinics and through didactics
Residents
Exposure to issues of mental health and participation in this care is a crucial component of medical training. The Division oversees and provides the ACGME-required training to the more than 100 pediatric residents in the Children’s Health/UTSW training program through two of the Division's programs. All pediatric residents are required to participate in extended training in both developmental-behavioral pediatrics and adolescent medicine during their three years of residency.
Division faculty provide direct teaching in developmental-behavioral pediatrics for PL1 and PL2 residents in various clinics, both within the medical center and in settings throughout the community. Beyond “bedside” clinical teaching, a three-year curriculum for learning has been developed for small groups and semiformal didactics.
Multiple electives are available to medical students and residents throughout their clinical training. Faculty and fellows provide formal didactic teaching on pertinent critical care topics during the noon conference lecture series each year.
Conditions seen by PL1 and PL2 residents include:
- Dyslexia
- Myelomeningocele
- Autism
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Down syndrome
- Anxiety
- Toileting issues
- Learning problems
- Other developmental/behavioral concerns
Residents also participate in programs such as:
- Child life
- Early childhood intervention
- Speech therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Recreational therapy
Second- and third-year residents have access to developmental-behavioral pediatrics and ADHD electives tailored to their individual interests.
Course Descriptions
Fellows
The Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics supports four growing fellowship programs.
- The Division’s Child Abuse Fellowship lasts three years and covers patient care and procedural skills, interpersonal and communication skills, medical knowledge, problem-based learning, system-based practice, and professionalism.
- Our Adolescent Medicine Fellowship covers the support and guidance of future adolescent medicine physicians to promote the optimal health and well-being of all adolescents and young adults.
- The Division’s Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship emphasizes the evaluation of development and behavior and the treatment of developmental disabilities.
- The Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship, guided by the Division’s Co-Director, Dr. Bordes Edgar, emphasizes culturally informed neurodevelopmental evaluations for children with complex medical needs. This is part of a two-track Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship with Children’s Health and is a member program of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology.