Welcome.
You’re in the right place! Your child’s behaviors are sending us a message. And it’s up to us, the adults, to decode that message. Maybe you landed here because you were referred by your pediatrician, through word-of-mouth or an internet search. Whatever your path, I’m so glad you’re here!
- Perhaps your child is not meeting their developmental milestones and you are looking for answers.
- Maybe your child’s teacher has expressed concerns about their behavior.
- Or maybe you’re experiencing chronic power struggles and caught in a cycle of negativity with your child.
Those are just a few examples, but whatever the reason, you’re probably here because you’re worried about your child’s development or behavior and seeking answers. Together, guided by curiosity and compassion and, hopefully, some humor, we are going to embark on a journey of discovery to better understand the why of your child’s behaviors.
We will collaborate to develop an individualized plan to help your child and family thrive!
The evaluation process.
Parent Consultation
In most cases, we will start with a parent interview. During this session, we discuss your child’s medical and developmental history, genetic, social and environmental factors. Through this process, I will gain valuable insight into your child’s cognitive performance, social, motor, language skills as well as behavioral functioning.
Child Evaluation
After the parent consultation, I will then meet your child for one or two visits, during which I conduct a child interview and/or observation of their play, perform a non-invasive neurological examination, and developmental screening.
Collateral Information Collection
As needed, I conduct phone interviews with teachers or other professionals, observe your child in their school setting and review any prior evaluations or assessments.
Assessment and Treatment Planning
Finally, you and I will meet again to discuss my impressions and treatment recommendations.
In many cases, a formal diagnosis may be given. Diagnoses are often useful in helping to access, retain, or be reimbursed for services.
Treatment recommendations may include referrals to various therapists (eg.occupational, speech, ABA, social skills, mental health professionals, neurologists)
I may recommend that we work together to do parenting sessions. We may also consider treatment with medication, if indicated for your child.
A little more about me.
I have practiced as a general pediatrician in Marin for nearly 15 years. This year, I was voted the Best Pediatrician in Marin County by the Pacific Sun. This is also the year that I decided to make a mid-career shift and dedicate myself to full time work in developmental and behavioral pediatrics.
My inspiration to make this career shift was simple. Parents need thoughtful and effective guidance from a trusted expert to help navigate developmental and behavioral challenges. Over the last few years, I have spent increasingly more time counseling parents on these topics. By the time parents came to see me, they had often spent hours on the internet, listening to podcasts, scrolling through Instagram reels and pouring through Reddit threads, looking for answers and parenting solutions for their child’s behaviors. Parents would come into my office feeling like they’d tried it all and nothing worked.
And together we would dive in and get curious. Parents felt seen and heard. They felt relieved not to be alone. I know, because I was once that parent myself. Early in my parenting journey we met with a developmental pediatrician who was able to reframe my child’s challenges and give us the personalized guidance to help our child through a tricky transition.
After meeting with this developmental pediatrician, I had a revelation: the family is the patient!
It’s such a simple principle, but it has guided my approach to my work ever since. Our families and communities are the ecosystem in which our children grow and develop. In order to really understand what’s at the heart of a child’s challenges, it’s vital to know how parents and siblings are doing and what’s happening in our communities at large.
This work takes time and requires deep presence. And after years of doing this work in the setting of a busy general pediatrics practice, it was time to commit myself to this work exclusively.
I am happy to share that my 3 children, now ages 17, 15 and 11 are excited for me to start this new chapter, too! Being an East Coast transplant, I still think it’s wild that I am raising three Californians! I came out to California for an adventure after I graduated from Yale, and was then fortunate to get to stay here and attend UCSF for medical school and residency. I’ve now been in the Bay Area for nearly 30 years and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Outside of my work, I love hiking, pilates, reading novels, trying new recipes and spending time with my family, our dogs and friends.
Let’s work together!
sydney@sydneysawyermd.com