Nondiscrimination Policy Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To read our full Nondiscrimination Statement, click here.

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Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Provider Resources

The Center for Excellence in Immigrant Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

The Center for Excellence in Immigrant Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (CEIIECMH) is an interdisciplinary program that aims to improve access to racially and socially equitable developmentally-, trauma-, and diversity-informed infant and early childhood mental health (IEMCH) services for pregnant individuals and children ages zero to five in undocumented and mixed-status immigrant families.  

In order to do this, we provide workforce support and development and work to influence systems change.

Learn More About Our Trainings and Work

Referrals to Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at BMC 

Thank you for collaborating with the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) Department at BMC in providing care to your patients. Below is the information you need to know before referring to our program.

Evaluations 

We commonly evaluate children and young adults from birth to 22 years old for:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Global developmental delay (GDD) (<age 5) and intellectual disability (ID)
  • Learning disability (LD)
  • Speech and language development delay (SLDD)
  • Anxiety disorders

When scheduling a patient, we will make two attempts at contact to book an appointment. If we do not reach them, they will be removed from the waitlist, and the referral will be closed.

Follow-up Care 

We provide follow-up care when the diagnosing facility does not provide that care for a child with an existing diagnosis. Please provide the diagnostic report in your referral and reason for follow-up care.

How to Refer to DBP 

External referring clinicians: Use our external intake form and fax to 617.638.-6756 with ALL required documentation.

Internal referring clinicians and EPIC users: Use EPIC referrals and send ALL required documentation to 617.414.7915.

Required Documentation for Initial Referral 

Send the following with the referral:

  • Encounter note that prompted referral
  • Results of validated developmental/autism screening tool: MCHAT, STAT, PEDS, SWYC/POSI, CSBS, ASQ (applicable for developmental delay or autism concern)
  • Results of validated ADHD screening tool: Vanderbilt, etc. (if applicable for ADHD concern)
  • One of the following:
    • Current individual family service plan (IFSP) from an early intervention agency
    • Contact information for current early intervention clinician AND/OR current individual education plan (IEP)
    • 504 plan (school setting)  
    • Reason for no IEP/IFSP/504 plan
  • Other consultant reports (speech and language, neurology, behavior health) if applicable
  • Current hearing and vision results
  • Original diagnostic report if seeking follow-up care

Resources You Can Provide to Parents 

In some cases, children may need services more quickly than we can schedule an appointment. We recommend the following actions and resources in those cases:

  • If your patient is under the age of three: Refer to their local early intervention (EI) agency if they are not currently enrolled in EI. You can find a list of agencies on the Family Ties of MA website.
  • If your patient is three years or older and not yet enrolled in school: Assist the family with requesting a special education evaluation through their public school system. Having a child evaluated by their school system is an imperative and time-sensitive step. Information for requesting a special education evaluation that can be used to advocate for your patient and provided to parents/caregivers can be found on the MA Department of Education website.
  • If your patient is three years or older and already enrolled in school: Ensure they have received a special education evaluation and are receiving all services that they are deemed eligible for through an IEP or a 504 plan.
  • If your patient needs behavioral health/therapy services: We recommend making a referral to psychiatry and ensuring your patient receives appropriate behavioral health support. If your patient has MassHealth, and would benefit from in-home or outpatient therapy services, please make a referral by using the following sites: