Developmental pediatrician Dr. Conlon?

[Anonymous]

at what age do you think it is appropriate to bring your child to Dr Conlon?

[Anonymous]

As soon as you think your child needs to be evaluated, go. We took DC to see Dr. Conlon at 15 1/2 months. He's fantastic - warm, easy to communicate with, and very accessible (he encourages email). I've also been impressed by his efforts to stay current in his field. In our follow up visit with him last month he made several references to conferences he'd recently attended that shaped his approach to ASD treatment. We're very reassured to have him on our team.

[Anonymous]

We just got an appointment with Dr. Compart in Columbia. She isn't scheduling new patienst until September, but her associate is seeing patients in June. (Can't remember the associates name) Dr. Compart comes HIGIHLY recommended, and I'm told worth the wait and trip to Columbia (Maryland that is

[Anonymous]

We have been seeing Dr. Conlon for about 5 years until he moved to Bethesda. He is wonderful and has been an incredible help for our grandson who has ADHD. He is worth the wait.

[Anonymous]

I have three boys with developmental issues. All were seen by Dr. Conlon, as well as by others at Children's etc. Dr. Conlon is the best, by far. Smart and compassionate. He teaches nationally in developmental disorders in children. I have had to wait for the written stuff with all, but it is worth it when it comes. He also knows how to navigate the school systems here to advocate for your child which is invaluable

[Anonymous]

is bethesda his only office location as of now?

also, does anyone know what an average follow-up visit costs for him? i assume that you pay out of pocket and then try to get your insurance company to reimburse?

[Anonymous]

I just made an apointment for my DC to see Dr Conlon. The person coordinating the appointment time stated Dr Conlon does not take insurance. The initial visit is $500 and the office will process the paperwork to your insurance and you will be reimbursed.

[Anonymous]

Reimbursement for Dr. Conlon depends upon your insurance plan. Under our previous plan (BC/BS Federal, which in my experience is one of the best out there), we were reimbursed for less than $200 of the initial $500 evaluation fee. We've since switched to a non-Federal BC/BS plan and they still haven't figured out whether they'll reimburse any of our second visit to Conlon ($250).

[Anonymous]

Other than Dr. Conlon, who else is out there? My 13 yo son is currently seeing another CNMC devl pediatrician who is terrible. It takes motnhs to get an appointment and then when you do get one, you get a call the day of the appointment canceling. This doctor has also taken personal phone calls during our appointments and never reviews my son's chart prior to our visit. She rarely interacts with him during the appoitments . I think she's the one with ASD. Right now, we're only really using this MD to get our meds to treat my son's ADHD. Who else is out there in, especially in Northern VA?

[Anonymous]

We saw Dr. Conlon for our son in February, 2009. He spent two hours talking to our son, interacting with im, and talking to us. We were very encouraged at the time to get his advice. He told us he was going to prepare a report. It's been 3 months since that appointment and he has yet to send us his report. We've called his office repeatedly and asked to speak to him. He did not return any of our phone calls or e-mails.

I feel so disappointed with Dr. Conlon. He was so highly recommended, but he has failed to follow through on the most basic issue which is giving us advice. I would not recommend him.

[Anonymous]

There seem to be mixed reviews about Dr. Conlon. It seems if you can put up with the wait for an appointment or results, he sound like the ADD (and everything else) guru. I've tried three times to contact a Dr. Efron's office at the Fairfax Children's NMC site, and I get no response. I wonder if that's the doc mentioned in a previous post.
Anyway, we are desperate to get some help for our 13 year old who has the diagnosis of ADHD primary inattentive. Long acting stimulants are not tolerated at "therapeutic" doses--no appetite, no sleep, and Strattera was completely worthless. He has a high IQ, but grades are plummeting. He just can't organize and manage his work

My question is: does Dr. Conlon manage meds? Is it possible to even get in to see him on a regular basis, or does he act in a consultative capacity to one's pediatrician? We also need guidance, maybe other non-pharmaceutical treatment advice. I get concerned about all the practitioners out there, and I wonder whether they're legit.

[Anonymous]

Regarding appointments at CNMC HALP clinic (Dr. Efrons or Pratt's office)...you need to be a little obnoxious to get a call back. After the first unreturned phone call after leaving a message on the appointment line, you need to call the appointment line again, leave them a message telling them the date of your last message and how many calls you have made so far. Typically, I have to make three calls over three weeks to get a call back. They only schedule appointments 4 months in advance and often their "scheduling system" is down. It's frustrating that there are not more resources around here. You'd think in an area where every kid seems to be GT or in special ed that there would be more physicians who could treat our kids. It's easier to get Botox. That's disturbing!

[Anonymous]

I attended a lecture that Dr. Conlon gave on ADD. He has ADD himself which might explain some of the disorganization, esp in calls returned in the evening, it's probably meds wearing off. He has a tremendous amount of knowledge about ADD - both behavioral approaches and medication. My kid's issue is more in sequencing it turns out. If it was ADD I would definitely seek advice from Dr. Conlon. We've always had great luck with docs who have experienced problems themselves or in their immediate family, they are always especially knowledgeable. .

[Anonymous]

To the poster who saw Dr Conlon in Feb and had a good appointment with him but was waiting for followup. Did the doctor at least verbally tell you what your child's issues are or are not, or strengths and weaknesses, or a diagnosis if it was appropriate? I guess even without the paperwork was the visit helpful

[Anonymous]

I'm not the poster who saw Dr. Conlon for the first time in Feb, but wanted to respond to the question about whether the office visit itself was helpful, as compared to the written report you eventually receive. We've seen Dr. Conlon three times so far - first for the initial evaluation and two subsequent follow-up sessions. The reports do take several weeks, in one case months, but didn't say anything more than what we discussed with Conlon during the office visit. I've found him to be very patient in answering questions. He also makes a point of jotting down notes for us during the office call - be it books he recommends, names & phone numbers for other specialists, etc. The follow-up report is in my experience just the official documentation for the child's records - there's nothing new there. He is also extremely responsive to email communication. We email with him a handful of times between visits either to update him on new therapies/progress or to ask questions. I've never had to wait more than 24 hours for an email response. We highly recommend him.