If your child is having difficulties in school with learning and/or behavior, make an appointment with Dr. Joy Peskin at Desert Willow Pediatrics. She is a primary care provider with additional training in Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics.

How Do I Tell If My Child Has a Developmental Disability?

Even as an infant, children show signs of developmental delay and disability. As they grow older these signs and symptoms become more obvious. Children who have a learning or developmental disability may exhibit behaviors or problems like:

• Problems with math, reading, or writing
• Difficulty staying focused or following directions
• Trouble staying organized or telling time
• Poor memory and clumsiness
• Acting impulsively/misbehaving in school or at home
• Difficulty saying a word correctly or expressing thoughts out loud
• Difficulty listening, understanding words or concepts

If your child is falling behind in school or is not able to express themselves well, it may be worth a visit to Desert Willow Pediatrics. Your Tucson AZ pediatrician, Dr. Peskin, can help you determine if your child has a learning or developmental disability.

How Is A Child Diagnosed With A Disability?

Diagnosing a child with a developmental disability or a learning disability requires multiple assessments and cooperation with your child’s school psychologists and teachers. To make an accurate diagnosis, your developmental pediatrician may do a medical or neurological exam to rule out other possible causes. They will also screen your child’s past and present developmental, social, and school performance, review family history, and conduct academic and psychological testing.

Those who see your child most often, including their teachers, administrators, and psychologists will work together with your pediatrician to determine what is causing your child’s difficulties and to develop a plan to help them continue to learn and improve academically and behaviorally.

Depending on the disability, the child may require the intervention of a speech-language pathologist, medication, therapy, or special education classes.

To learn more about getting testing for your child to determine if they have a developmental or learning disability, call Desert Willow Pediatrics at (520) 751-4124 to schedule an appointment with your Tucson, AZ developmental pediatrician, Dr. Peskin.