DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS

Children grow and develop rapidly during their first few years of life. From crawling and walking to talking and gaining emotional intelligence, a lot of development happens in infancy to middle childhood. During a consultation with Dr Coetzee, he might focus on the development of your child in regards to the standard developmental changes that should be occurring at his or her age. Milestones like crawling, walking, babbling, talking and hugging friends are all important aspects to seeing if your child is on track developmentally. Speech delays or lack of emotional intelligence may be a reason for concern, so Dr Coetzee will keep a key eye on these things when he sees you for the first few well-baby assessments.

Often behaviour problems plague the parents of toddlers and young children. Being naughty, defiant and impulsive from time to time is perfectly normal however some children can be more challenging and seem to go against the norm of children their age. Behaviour problems including inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, anger, frustration, frequent tantrums, lying and lack of empathy for others are issues that should not be ignored as they can manifest into adulthood.

As these issues can add unnecessary pressure to the already challenging tasks that parenthood brings, Dr Coetzee has expertise in developmental and behavioural problems that affect children of all ages. With adequate parent education and possibly medication, these issues can be made of little concern for parents and enhance the functioning of their children in and outside of school. When necessary, Dr Coetzee may refer you to a child psychologist.