Resident training in developmental/behavioral pediatrics: where do we stand?

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.

Promoting child social-emotional growth in primary care settings: using a developmental approach.

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.

Parent-child relationship disorders: what do the Child Vulnerability Scale and the Parent Protection Scale measure?

While scales exist to aid clinicians in the assessment of parent-child relationship disorders, there are minimal data regarding their clinical usefulness. This study examined the ability of parent responses to questions regarding the child's health, behavior, and development to predict total scores on the Child Vulnerability Scale and the Parent Protection Scale. Of 120 potential participants, 103 parents (92% mothers, 69% white, 54% married, 44% lower socioeconomic status) with children aged 2-5 years completed the Child Health and Family Functioning Questionnaire.

Parental perceptions of child vulnerability, overprotection, and parental psychological characteristics.

While a parental perception of child vulnerability to illness/injury is often used interchangeably with parental overprotection, research suggests that these constructs are independent. Distinct parental psychological characteristics were hypothesized for each construct. The parents of 871 children, ages 22-72 months, completed a four-part protocol (clinical background data, Child Vulnerability Scale, Parent Protection Scale, and Brief Symptom Inventory).