Developmental Delay/Intellectual Disability Diagnostic Evaluation Clinical Pathway — Primary Care

Clinical Pathways Home Emergency ICU Inpatient Outpatient Specialty Care Primary Care

Goals and Metrics

Patient Education

Provider Resources

Related Pathway
- Autism Screening,
  Primary Care

Child with Suspected Intellectual Disability
or Developmental Delay

Rationale for Testing and Consultation

History and Physical Exam

Initial Evaluation
- Hearing
- Vision testing

Referral to:
- Age 0-3 yrs: Early intervention
- Age 3-5 yrs: Intermediate units
- Age >5 yrs: School districts

Subspecialty Referral Considerations
- Genetics
- Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Metabolism

Testing Recommendations for
Common Recognizable Syndromes

Financial Clearance and
Authorization for Genetic Testing

Standard Laboratory Evaluation by General Pediatrics
Testing Recommendations for Special Circumstance
- No Newborn Screen performed
- Children born outside the U.S.

Posted: September 2022
Authors: H. Alharbi, MD; C. Desrochers, MD; K. Zsolway, MD; E. Huang, MD; V. Cuddapah, MD; P. Huang, MD; C. Menello, MS; R. Ganetzky, MD;

Evidence

Educational Media

Primary Care Perspectives: Episode 145 - Intellectual Disabilities Clinical Pathway Review

If you have questions about any of the clinical pathways or about the process of creating a clinical pathway please contact us.

©2024 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.
Use of this site is subject to the Terms of Use.

The clinical pathways are based upon publicly available medical evidence and/or a consensus of medical practitioners at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (“CHOP”) and are current at the time of publication. These clinical pathways are intended to be a guide for practitioners and may need to be adapted for each specific patient based on the practitioner’s professional judgment, consideration of any unique circumstances, the needs of each patient and their family, and/or the availability of various resources at the health care institution where the patient is located.

Accordingly, these clinical pathways are not intended to constitute medical advice or treatment, or to create a doctor-patient relationship between/among The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (“CHOP”), its physicians and the individual patients in question. CHOP does not represent or warrant that the clinical pathways are in every respect accurate or complete, or that one or more of them apply to a particular patient or medical condition. CHOP is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the clinical pathways, or for any outcomes a patient might experience where a clinician consulted one or more such pathways in connection with providing care for that patient.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Search

Primary Care Clinical Pathway for Diagnostic Evaluation of Developmental Delay and Intellectual Disability

Evidence

Educational Media