The Developmental & Behavioral Pediatric Consultation

The evaluation process begins with either an Initial Consultation (a series of visits), or a Treatment Consultation (a single visit). If your child has never been evaluated before, you will need to begin with an Initial Consultation. If your child has had a prior diagnositc evaluation or is under the age of five years, you may schedule a Treatment Consultation. Please read the descriptions below for more detail.

The Initial Consultation is an office visit with the parents only to obtain a comprehensive history and discuss therapeutic options. This visit may be sixty or ninety minutes depending upon the complexity of the problem. The next step is the Child Evaluation Visit (60 min). This may occur in the office or in certain cases at school or daycare. This is a diagnostic evaluation. The third of the initial visits the Feedback Visit (30 or 60 min) is for the parents only to discuss the evaluation results and treatment plan. Many parents feel this is a crucial visit as it is an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of their child's difficulties and their impact on the family.

**Please note in cases where custody is shared between two parents, we require open communication between all parties involved in the child's life. If you are unable or unwilling to do so, this will  need to be dicussed prior to your first visit, and may necessitate you seek the help of a different health care professional. We are unable to mediate ongoing hostilities between  parents, and seek only to serve the best interests of the child, which in our experience requires open communication by all involved parties to achieve this goal.

If your child or teen has been previously evaluated, the initial visit will consist of a Treatment Consultation which includes the parents and child or teen together at the initial visit. The Treatment Consultation is approrpriate when there has been a prior diagnostic evaluation. Infants and Toddlers four years of age or younger may also be seen initially as a Treatment Consultation for their first office visit without prior diagnostic testing. Quite frequently the Treatment Consultation in a young child will require an additional Feedback Visit to go over details of the treatment plan and the results of the evaluation.

Young Adults up to age 21 with a history of learning, developmental, and emotional problems from childhood are also welcome to join the practice as patients. In these cases an Initial Adult Visit may be scheduled.

Due to the individualized nature of consultations this is only a blueprint, there may be situations where the schedule of visits will vary. 

For new patients who would like to meet Dr. Aronson-Ramos before scheduling a full evaluation she has created the Preliminary Consultation Visit which can be done in person or by phone. This sixty minute visit is for the parents only. This provides an opportunity to meet Dr. Aronson-Ramos and discuss their concerns at length. At the end of this sessions families will have a clear understanding of the evaluation process, the different treatment approaches available and if necessary referral to the appropriate resources if she is unable to meet your needs.

Follow-up Visits (30 or 60 min) are tailored to the individual needs of the patient. Medication monitoring requires a minimum of a thirty minute visit every four months.  In certain cases more frequent visits may be needed. Children who are being monitored for developmental progress may require longer intervals between visits. What is needed will depend on the child, family, and course of treatment.

NEW - Follow Up Visits With Susan Charnam - 30 or 60 minutes

In order to better meet the needs of cour patients, we are offering follow up visits with Susan Charnam individually and incombination with Dr Aronson-Ramos. These visits are designed to combine the expertise of both professionals in a complementary fashion. These follow up visits may be indicated to address the following issues in depth: problem solving behavioral and educational concerns, assessing progress, assiting with implementation and coordination of therapies, and offer hands on behavior management techniques.

Sue has been an integral part of our team since the beginning and is an Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist as well as a Special Educator. Her area of expertise is birth to 6 years of age. She is well versed the principles of behavior management, assessing appropriate educational environments, developing plans to promote language and social interaction, compliance, joint attention and play skills. In addtion, Sue communicates effectively with both parents and teachers and she has spent many years providing in home and school visits for the Early Intervention Program in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Eligiblity for follow up visits with Sue will be determined by Dr. Aronson-Ramos, please call us for more information.

Note: Office visits can sometimes be difficult to schedule. Therefore, I can occasionally offer a replacement Phone Consultation when the need arises.

Every patient will have open access to Dr Aronson-Ramos and her resources. She is directly available to all of her patients and offers many ways to communicate - office visits, school visits, phone consults, and confidential email. Many of the problems patients and families face have a developmental component which changes over time making a long term relationship with a physician highly valuable. Just as families are accustomed to their Pediatrician who they have known through the years, a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician fulfills that role as a specialist.

Our office values working with other professionals as a team to provide a multidisciplinary approach. It is important for families to know we spend a considerable amount of time outside of office visits in coordinating and facilitating communication among involved professionals and caregivers. We feel this benefits our families and improves treatment outcomes.