Child Development

Services are available for children from infancy through adulthood who have developmental delays, behavior and/or learning problems, and stressful life situations. Assessment services are provided with the involvement of several different disciplines such as audiology, pediatrics, nursing, occupational therapy, metabolism/genetics, physical therapy, psychology, speech/language pathology, pediatric dentistry, pediatric neurology, social work, and nutrition. Looking at a child and their family in this interdisciplinary way helps better understand the child's particular learning and developmental needs.

Services are provided in a variety of center-based and community-based settings. The full interdisciplinary clinic is held at the RCDC which is located in Riley Hospital for Children. An annual average of 350 children with neurodevelopmental conditions are seen in this intensive interdisciplinary clinic. Children who receive interdisciplinary services live in all areas of the state. Because children come from a wide variety of communities, the RCDC requests a physician referral to ensure a medical home for all children and a local resource to assist the family with any additional medical and social needs.

The RCDC (Riley Child Development Center) is part of a national network of training programs providing intensive interdisciplinary assessment services funded by the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. Its mission is to support the independence, productivity, and integration into the community of all citizens across the lifespan with developmental disabilities.

For Consultations or Referrals:

IMACS (Indiana Medical Access and Communication System) is a toll-free, direct line that gives you, the healthcare professional, and your office staff prompt access to IU faculty physicians for clinical consultations, patient referrals, patient information, or the latest research protocols. Simply call: (317) 916-3500 or 1-800-622-4989, or you can call the physicians office directly by phone (317) 274-8167 or fax (317) 274-9760.

In addition to connecting you with our clinical specialties, IMACS can connect you to: the Ruth Lilly Medical Library & Research Building; the IUPUI Medical Bookstore; the Clarian LifeLine Helicopter; the Newborn Intensive Care Vans and Continuing Medical Education. IMACS physician resource specialists are trained professionals who will expertly direct your call, even if you are not certain whom to ask for. Clarian Health Partners operates IMACS, and they follow detailed guidelines, established by our medical staff, to help you select the most appropriate person or area.

IMACS specialists will stay with you on the line until your call is complete to ensure you receive the information you need. They can transfer your call to a different area or help you make multiple contacts with just one call.

For routine consultations or referrals, please call IMACS Monday-Friday from 8am until 5:30pm. For emergency consultations or referrals, IMACS operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

[Keywords: developmental delays, behavior learning problems, stressful life situations, audiology, pediatrics, nursing, occupational therapy, metabolism/genetics, physical therapy, psychology, speech/language pathology, pediatric dentistry, pediatric neurology, social work, nutrition, child development]