Developmental Pediatrics

About the Division

Based at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, specialists in developmental-behavioural pediatrics work with colleagues from allied health disciplines to provide medical and interdisciplinary assessment and intervention for children and youth with developmental disabilities and their families.

The focus is on cognitive and language disabilities such as intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, speech disorders, developmental language disorders, learning disabilities, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Gail Andrew has spent nearly 30 years devoted to advocacy and research for those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Clinical Care and Services

Learn more about vairety of clinics and services our division provides:

Development Assessment Services

  • There are two general assessment clinics for children with tertiary developmental concerns, organized by age. The School-Aged Neurodevelopmental Clinic (SNAC) at the Glenrose provides assessment for school-aged children with complex neurodevelopmental, behavioural and/or school-related disorders. Preschool Assessment Services (PAS) provides similar services for young children up to kindergarten entry. Specialized assessment and/or intervention is available for selected patient groups (i.e. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Learning and Development Clinics

  • Division members provide clinical support to this regional program, which provides assessment and intervention for developmental and behavioural concerns in school-aged children from the Edmonton area at two sites, East Edmonton Health Centre and Grey Nuns Hospital.

Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine

  • Within the Division of Developmental Pediatrics, the Section of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine encompasses a wide range of clinics and programs providing specialized healthcare to children with impairments and functional limitations resulting from congenital and childhood onset neuromusculoskeletal disorders.
  • Clinical programs include Inpatient and Day-patient Rehabilitation Programs, Pediatric Neuromotor/Rehabilitation Consultation Clinic, Physical Medicine Clinic, Pediatric Brain Injury Program, Orthopedic Treatment Clinics, Spina Bifida Clinic, Neuromuscular Disease Clinic, Spasticity Management Program, Upper Extremity Program including the Pediatric Brachial Plexus Clinic, Children's Limb Difference Clinic and the Syncrude Centre for Motion and Balance.
Learn More about Clinics, Services, and Programs
  • Autism Clinic
    • follow-up for children with diagnosed autism
  • Cochlear Implant Service
    • Through a specialized Hearing Impairment/Cochlear Implant Services Clinic, children with hearing impairments have access to diagnostic and behaviour management services, as well as access to specialists to assist with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities and other neurological concerns.
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Service
    • The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Clinic is a research-based clinic, which assesses selected children with documented prenatal exposure to alcohol, with a focus on developing specific recommendations to assist children and their families. With each assessment, specialists also provide information to school teams, child welfare workers and other healthcare professionals.
  • Neonatal and Infant Follow-Up Clinic
    • The Neonatal and Infant Follow-up Clinic provides longitudinal assessments of children at high risk of disabling conditions from perinatal and neonatal problems. The major purpose of the clinic is to provide service to the children with early diagnosis and management of disabling conditions and reinforcement of well-being in healthy children. The second purpose is to provide an audit function to assist in the quality improvement of maternal and neonatal/pediatric care. Once disabilities are diagnosed, children are transferred to the Physical Medicine Clinic, 1 2 3 Go! Program, or community programs, depending on their needs.
  • The Registry and Follow-up of Complex Pediatric Therapies Program (CPTP)
    • This program has joined multidisciplinary clinics across western Canada with the framework, experience and expertise to complete long-term follow-up of these at-risk children to provide neuro-developmental/neurocognitive assessments. Children currently registered for follow-up include those with complex cardiac surgery at six weeks of life and under; chronic renal dialysis at twelve months of life and under; solid organ transplant, extra-corporeal life support (cardiac or pulmonary), Berlin Heart support at six years of life and under; and in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation with neuroprotection by cooling. Over 1,000 children are registered with the program. Follow-up continues until eight years of age

Other Programs, Services, and Clinics:

  • Adolescent Services
  • Children's Limb Difference Clinic
  • ICAN Centre for Assistive Technology
  • Intrathecal Baclofen Clinic
  • Language & Speech Services for the Hearing Impaired (LSSHI)
  • Learning and Development Clinics (Edmonton zone)
  • Orthopedic Treatment Clinic
  • Pediatric Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program (PBIRP)
  • Clinic Pediatric Rehabilitation Consultation Clinic
  • Pediatric Movement Disorder
  • Clinic Physical Medicine
  • Clinic Preschool Assessment Service (PAS)
  • Registry and Follow-up of Complex Pediatric Therapies Neuromuscular Disease Clinic
  • Rett Syndrome Clinic
  • School-Aged Neurodevelopmental Assessment Clinic (SNAC)
  • Seating Clinic
  • Spasticity Assessment and Rehabilitation Clinic for Children
  • Spasticity Treatment Clinic for Children
  • Spina Bifida Clinic
  • Syncrude Centre for Motion and Balance Upper Limb Clinic
Intervention Programs
  • The 1 2 3 Go! Program is the consolidation of all Glenrose-based intensive developmental programs for children under age three with chronic, and often disordered, developmental and behavioural disabilities.
  • Preschool Learning and Intervention (PLAI) provides focused eight-week diagnostic and treatment services for children between the ages of four and six years with learning and behavioural concerns. The program aims to improve community capacity to deal with such problems.
  • School Rehabilitation Services (SRS), offered in partnership with Alberta Learning, is an interdisciplinary diagnostic/treatment program designed for early elementary children with complex learning difficulties.

Explore Stories about Developmental Pediatrics

  • Fellowship of care - Following children after life-saving therapies
  • Technology training - Project to determine if attention control can be taught to help prevent some of the risk of autism

Education Programs

Division members

Contact the Division of Developmental Pediatrics

Email: pdev@ualberta.ca
Phone: 780-735-8280