Before Your Visit
Scheduling your child's initial evaluation
Before we conduct your child's initial evaluation, we need to gather some information from you. This will help us to determine which kind of appointment is most appropriate for your child's developmental needs. To begin the scheduling process, please complete each of the items on our four-step checklist:
- Call the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Access Services Center at 215-590-7500 and follow the prompts for new appointments.
- When you are connected with our intake coordinator, answer her questions about your child and discuss any concerns you may have.
- When you receive the information packet that our intake coordinator mails to your home, please read through the information and follow the instructions provided. There will be a multi-page developmental history questionnaire for you to complete along with checklist forms for you and your child's teacher to complete.
- Once you complete all of the paperwork, please mail these back to the Division of Child Development at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in the envelope provided.
What will happen after you submit your information
When we receive your envelope, we will send you a "We Have It" postcard. Our clinical staff will review your child's developmental questionnaire, checklists and any outside records that you've sent to us.
During this review period the type of developmental evaluation that is most appropriate for your child will be determined.
The review period usually takes three weeks. At the end, you will receive a letter containing the following information:
- Evaluation type (program)
- Request of additional records
- Approximate month when your appointment will be
- Please note that we schedule only three months in advance. Due to our
lengthy wait time, it may be several months before we contact you.
Tips for smooth navigation through the appointment process
- Answer the intake coordinator's questions fully; all information is confidential according to Federal regulations.
- Give correct address and phone numbers so there is no difficulty contacting you, if your contact information changes please contact us.
- Complete and mail back the questionnaire and checklists to the best of your ability as soon as possible.
- Send any pertinent outside records with your questionnaire and checklists. Examples include: specialist evaluation (Neurology, Psychology, Developmental Pediatrician) education plans or therapist reports. The more information we have to review, the easier it will be to determine the appropriate evaluation type.
- Requests for specific physicians or locations will be considered when appropriate. Be aware that the waiting time for the appointment may be longer .
- Contact us via our Web site for any questions that you have.
Contact Us
- 215-590-7500
- Contact Us Online
- Request an Appointment