EDITORIAL: It’s our screening, we want it now! – RU Daily Targum

Oftentimes, Rutgers University conducts research on topics that affect the student body and the surrounding community. And in a study that was published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, Rutgers University did exactly that.

The study focused on the development of pediatric evaluations and the delays that occur when patients with attention deficits, hyperactive disorder (ADHD), autism and cerebral palsy seek treatment. And through this research, it was discovered that the average national wait time for someone seeking developmental pediatric evaluations is anywhere between five to six months.

The reason for this? The Rutgers study found that in the entirety of the United States, there are only 1,000 pediatricians who are trained to specialize in the treatment of these specific disorders. But that's not all. The study took a closer look at appointments made for pediatric evaluations in Spanish and discovered thatabout one-third of the programs for these evaluations did not offer any accommodations for those who spoke other languages.

The study was conducted using a method known as the mystery shopper strategy, where, in this case, a bilingual research assistant contacted several pediatric programs asking to make an appointment for an evaluation for his son who was experiencing difficulty in school. Through this, the study found then aforementioned data.

Although conductors of the study said that the results were not exactly surprising, the conclusion is still a disconcerting and disheartening a message.

One of the main issues highlighted by the study is that these long wait-times primarily affect low-income, immigrant families. Screenings for ADHD can total around $975, while a complete psycho-educational assessment can cost up to $2,000. For a low-income family that wants to determine if their child has any mental disorders, spending thousands of dollars for an initial screening is not realistic and can often lead them to neglectthe issues their child is facing.

Aside from the costs, the waiting time that the study discovered is deeply problematic. The difference between a six-day and a six-month timeline can be the difference between a child failing or passing a school year. When mental and learning disorders are detected earlier, steps to fix or aid these impairments can be tackled sooner. But if they go untreated, students' behavioral impairments could be mistaken for disciplinary problems, leaving it in the hands of teachers to detect. And usually, rather than contacting a student's parents to get them the help they need, teachers will discipline students through detention and suspension accrediting behavior problems to a students own personality or lack of proper upbringing. Because pediatric evaluations are not accessible to low-income families, this leads to a domino effect that results in teachers mislabeling and disciplining students based on actions they can not control.

Although systematic changes are needed to fix the length of the waiting time for a pediatric evaluation, small steps for detection can be made through training teachers in recognizing patterns of mental and learning disorders. Teacher reception and communication with students and their parents can help speed up the process of helping students inside classrooms, even if they cannot necessarily see professional physicians.

This study done by the University heavily affects the New Brunswick demographic because a majority of the citys population is Hispanic and about 44 percent of residents are livingbelow the poverty level.Every child, despite demographic differences, should have access to the same medical services, especially something as significant as psychiatric evaluations. In order to make progress, we must detect these disorders, have an open discussion between teachers and parents and use methods in and out of the classroom to give children a successful academic future.

The Daily Targum's editorials represent the views of the majority of the 149th editorial board. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.

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EDITORIAL: It's our screening, we want it now! - RU Daily Targum