Psychology and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics: Interprofessional Collaboration in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Providing high-quality clinical services to patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) requires interprofessional collaboration. This article highlights the importance of collaboration between psychology and developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP) to promote diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and integrated care for patients and their families. Interprofessional collaboration requires health care providers to work together toward solutions, including diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and ongoing care coordination. Case examples are presented to capture collaborative practice between psychology and DBP. Several established programs for providing interprofessional collaboration are highlighted, with noted benefits and barriers to collaborative care for NDD patients.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Developmental-behavioral pediatrics; Interdisciplinary; Interprofessional collaboration; Neurodevelopmental disabilities; Psychology.