Parent/Guardian Resources

NJ 211 (available 24/7)- Dial 2-1-1

Connect people to services for help with food, housing, healthcare & more. www.nj211.org.

 

Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline 1-877-NJABUSE

Any person having reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected has a legal responsibility to report it to the Division of Child Protection & Permanency. Calls can be made anonymously.

 

Children's System of Care 1-877-652-7624

Call for information about services for children with emotional & behavioral health care challenges & their families.

 

Domestic Violence Services 1-800-572-SAFE 24 hours a day 7 days a week

Call this number for information about domestic violence services in your local area.

 

Family Helpline 1-800-THE-KIDS 24 hours a day 7 days a week

If you're feeling stressed out, call to speak to a trained volunteer of Parents Anonymous who can provide support & refer you to resources in your community.

 

Visiting a Developmental Pediatrician can be beneficial for several reasons, especially if you have concerns about your child's growth, behavior, and development. Developmental Pediatricians are medical specialists that focus on addressing and managing developmental and behavioral issues in children.  

 

Developmental pediatricians will provide less of the general pediatric primary care services, focusing on the evaluation of treatment /management of of conditions including developmental delays affecting language, speech, and motor skills, nonverbal learning difficulties, concerns with social skills, behavioral and or performance difficulties, mental health conditions, and various health conditions.  

 

Delayed Speech and Motor Skills

If you witness your child having delayed development in language, speech, motor skills, and thinking capacity, make sure to make an appointment with a kid’s doctor. These could be clear indications that your child is struggling with their mental growth. Speech impediments can be worked through with the proper care, especially when they are identified early on during your kid’s development process.

Problems with Regular Behaviors

Signs that your child may need a developmental pediatrician include observing that they appear to have basic regulatory disorders like a feeding problem, sleeping disorders, difficulties with discipline, complications with toilet-training issues, and other bathroom problems like enuresis, which is a professional term for bedwetting, and encopresis, which refers to soiling themselves in bed.

Learning Problems

Learning complications are often harder to identify for parents, especially considering that they aren’t present with their kids in their classrooms during the school year. Dyslexia refers to someone having trouble reading, figuring out speech sounds, and relating to letters and words. Problems with math, writing difficulties, and basic learning problems in school are other red flags that should make a parent concerned about their child having developmental issues.

Attention Issues

Common attention and behavioral problems like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conditions associated with depression, anxiety, oppositional-defiant behavior, and conduct problems are all reasons for a kids doctor to get involved. Let a professional make the appropriate recommendations to apply pediatric help for development limitations in a child. There is no reason to get overwhelmed and jump to conclusions before you receive an analysis from a reliable pediatrician.