ABSTRACT
Approximately 25% to 30% of all complaints to a general pediatrician are developmental or behavioral in origin. Despite this, residency education in developmental/behavioral pediatrics has consistently been rated poorly. Changes were set forth in 1997 to include a mandatory 1-month block rotation in developmental/behavioral pediatrics. This study was a nationwide, cross-sectional, self-administered, mailed survey of pediatricians who completed residency either before or after these changes went into effect. Overall, pediatricians' comfort level in developmental/behavioral pediatrics was unchanged in the 2 groups. Certain areas (behavior problems, learning disabilities, sleep, and depression/anxiety) of developmental/behavioral pediatrics had lower comfort scores. Our data provide direction for the ongoing refinement of pediatric education that is based on feedback from currently practicing pediatricians.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders , Developmental Disabilities , Internship and Residency/organization & administration , Pediatrics/education , Primary Health Care , Adult , Child , Clinical Competence , Cross-Sectional Studies , Curriculum , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Clinicians are often faced with meaningful child/family mental health concerns, and yet suggesting a helpful course of action can be very challenging. While pediatricians routinely use a developmental framework to evaluate young children's cognitive, motor, and language skills, this occurs much less frequently for social-emotional development. Only recently have newer models of child development been put forth that emphasize the central role that emotions play in organizing the interactions among cognitive, motor, and language development across the lifespan. We review such a model of social-emotional growth and consider its implications for use in primary care settings.
