Pediatric Neurology
A. Required 3 months rotation occurring in the first year of training at institute 1.2 and requiring 10% of the resident’s time.
B. Faculty consists of a full-time pediatric neurologist, and 1 to 2 nurse practitioners.
C. Residents see new and follow up patients who are seen for evaluation, diagnosis and treatment in the outpatient setting. Faculty is present on site.
D. Patients in this clinic are 45% female and 55% male, ranging in age from 0 to 18 years. About 90% are Caucasian and 10% African American, the remaining are of other racial backgrounds. The types of diagnoses seen are varied and include seizure disorder (60%), migraine (5%), autism, developmental delays (15%), cerebral palsies (15%), Tic disorders (5%) and other rare brain syndromes. Treatment interventions used are predominantly pharmacological, with some patients receiving evaluations for surgical interventions.
E. Caseloads vary according to clinic and patient needs. Residents are responsible for chart review, patient and family interviews, neurological assessment, and diagnostic formulation.
F. Residents receive case-by-case supervision from faculty who is present on-site. The faculty staffs all the cases.
G. Following are the goals and objectives for this rotation::
Goal: To prepare residents to practice child and adolescent psychiatry with a basic understanding of pediatric neurology and the clinical interface of childhood psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Objectives:
Knowledge: After completing this rotation, residents should have the knowledge of
- Basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.
- Assessment and treatment of common pediatric neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, head trauma, pseudoseizures, conversion disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome; comorbid developmental delays and psychiatric disorders.
- Physical, behavioral and cognitive side effects of medications used to treat neurological disorders
- Common psychiatric disorders among child patients with neurological diseases
- Specific indications of different diagnostic tests used in pediatric neurology
- Perform a physical and neurological examination of children and adolescents with neurological disorders.
Skills: After completing this rotation, residents should demonstrate the ability to:
- Conduct a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation that includes pertinent presence or absence of pediatric neurological disorders.
- Develop a comprehensive differential diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Identify behavioral and cognitive side effects of medications used to treat neurological disorders.
- Be familiar with the EEG and PET scan findings in children with comorbid psychiatric and neurological disorders.
- Work effectively with a pediatric neurology team.
Attitudes: The resident should demonstrate:
- A strong sense of responsibility for patients.
- Commitment to supervision to improve his or her skills.
- Commitment to life-long learning to keep abreast of advances in neurosciences and clinical pediatric neurology relevant to the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry.
- Ethical conduct in the treatment of all patients and their families
