In addition to providing developmental medicine consultations for children referred locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, the Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics has always actively supported the vision and mission of Texas Children’s Hospital by providing substantial educational and research efforts. As child development is considered the basic science of pediatrics, and as developmental-behavioral problems are the most prevalent chronic medical conditions encountered in pediatric practice, since its establishment in 1960, the Meyer Center has been a critical component of the education of medical students, residents in pediatrics, neurodevelopmental disabilities, and psychiatry, fellows in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation, child psychiatry, and neonatology, and graduate students in psychology and medical social work.
As of July 2023, The Meyer Center is currently one of 13 pediatric programs nationally to have funding through a Health Resources and Services Administration/Maternal Child Health Bureau DBP Training Grant. It is also one of few programs to have both a developmental-behavioral pediatrics fellowship program and a neurodevelopmental disabilities residency program to address the severe shortage of medical subspecialists in these areas.
As a fellow in Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, you will have the opportunity to supervise medical students and pediatric residents in various clinical settings. You will also give lectures on developmental and behavioral topics to the general pediatrics residents and child psychiatry fellows.
Educational Highlights
MCHB DBP Training Grant Funding
As a DBP Training Grant-Funded program, fellows have the opportunity to attend annual MCHB Training Grant Meetings to present their research and to hear from other leaders in the field of DBP.
Local and National Meetings
All fellows have had the opportunity to submit and present posters at the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) and/or Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meetings. In addition, LEND fellows have the opportunity to attend an advocacy conference during the second year of fellowship. Fellows have the chance to present their scholarly work at the Baylor College of Medicine Research Symposium as well.
Community/Advocacy
The Meyer Center is fortunate to have five medical social workers on staff. In addition to providing didactic and hands-on education to trainees on community resources, family psycho-social issues, and special education, they organize a month-long community experience for the fellows. During this rotation, fellows have the opportunity to tour and observe various community resources that are utilized by our patients and their families, including public and private schools, Applied Behavior Analysis providers, residential and day habilitation programs, and enrichment activities for individuals with disabilities. In addition, fellows attend the Texas Pediatric Society Advocacy Day in Austin, Texas, where they are taught advocacy strategies and have a chance to meet with their state legislators to discuss topics pertinent to Pediatrics, such as the importance of funding Early Childhood Intervention.
Psychology
Fellows have the opportunity to work closely with psychologists both at the Autism Program and at Texas Children's Hospital as a whole. Potential clinical experiences include Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and ADOS training opportunities, observations of ABA therapy and Parent Management Training sessions, as well as psychological evaluations of anxiety, OCD, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, enuresis/encopresis, pill swallowing difficulties, substance abuse, anorexia, bulimia, obesity, and feeding disorders.
Fellow's Educational Conference
Faculty and fellows gather for one half-day per week for didactics, which are based on DBP board content specifications. Other sessions include journal club, evidence-based medicine presentations, behavior rounds, research and quality improvement project updates, and book club. Speakers from Texas Children's Hospital and the local community are frequently involved.
Autism Program Weekly Conference
Weekly multidisciplinary meeting to discuss interesting and challenging cases, present research and collaborate.
Fellow's College and Quality Improvement
Fellows participate in Baylor Fellow's College lectures, including a Quality Improvement curriculum. Fellows are mentored in one Quality Improvement project during their three years in fellowship. This QI project can also be used for the American Board of Pediatrics Maintenance of Certification Part 4 credit.
Leadership Program in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)
LEND is 10-month interdisciplinary training program funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) that is focused on leadership, cultural competence, and evidence-based practice. Didactic seminars focus on autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, the education system, psychology evaluations, and allied health, as well as policy and advocacy. Trainees have opportunities to attend various local and national conferences, including transition seminars focused on transition for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities into adulthood.
International Collaborative Office Rounds (i-COR)
Monthly international, interprofessional collaboration to present and discuss challenging developmental-behavioral pediatric cases via video-conferencing. Participants include Primary Care Pediatricians, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatricians (DBP), Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (CAP), and other professionals, including psychologists, nurse practitioners and social workers and trainees.
The goals of the program are to:
- Learn different approaches to developmental, behavioral and emotional problems
- Examine the effects of trauma and social, political and/or economic distress on children and families
- Improve pediatric primary care clinicians' capacity to recognize and manage psychosocial and developmental concerns within their practice
- Appreciate the role of cultural and national/legal differences, and practice variation in the care of children with developmental, behavioral and emotional problems
Fellow Teaching Opportunities
- Case presentations/didactics at the noon conference series for Texas Children's Pediatric residents
- Oversee residents in the developmental NICU follow-up clinic
- Provide consultation for patients with developmental and/or behavioral concerns at resident continuity clinic
- Oversee junior fellow in Harris Health Care Developmental Clinic
- Oversee junior fellow in school-based clinic developmental/behavioral evaluations
