My children's first pediatrician was an excellent doctor, well-regarded in the community and kind to me and my newly adopted special-needs kids. We loved him -- when we got to see him. His practice was large and filled with a revolving door of young doctors from the nearby hospital, and it seemed that every time I brought one of my little ones in for the injuries and earaches and developmental oddnesses that marked our first year together, we saw another impatient stranger who quickly jumped to wrong conclusions and had to be painstakingly filled in on the particulars of their patients' special needs. Finally, I tired of new doctors walking in and commenting in surprise at the size of my son's head or the strangeness of my daughter's speech, and I sought out a smaller practice where we had a pretty strong assurance of seeing the same doctor every visit, with a shorter waiting-room time to boot. Things like frequency of seeing the same doctor and length of wait during a visit aren't often tops on parents' list of things they're looking for in a pediatrician, but for children with special needs, they can be of vital importance. Whether you're looking for your first pediatrician or thinking about making a switch, "Before You Pick a Pediatrician" offers five factors to weigh when settling on your medical home base.
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