Dr. Glass @ Children's

[Anonymous]

Our pediatrician wants our 4 month old to be evaluated by a developmental doc b/c of some delays -- she's tiny (off the charts low in head, height and weight, although looks totally proportional to us), she doesn't have good head control, and she doesn't make good eye contact (although she is a very happy baby and is reactive to us (e.g. very vocal when we talk to her)). She's getting an MRI, and we have an appointment with Dr. Glass in 2 weeks. I originally was going to post here to see what we should expect out of this initial appointment (also posted on Parenting forum), but now I am a bit dismayed after reading about other people's experiences with Dr. Glass.

For those that have seen her, would you consider not even going in the first place? We are not parents who are convinced something is wrong with DD (we just think she's a normal baby who's bringing up the bottom...after all, someone has to be the 1st percentile, right?), so if a doctor told us she didn't need any help I'd probably believe them. But it sounds like there are parents who were convinced there was something wrong and fought through a "there's no issue here" diagnosis given by Dr. Glass, which worries me...b/c what if there IS something wrong?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Mother of a 28 weeker here. I found Dr. Glass to be a bit on the conservative side compared with the PT from Infants and Toddlers and a private PT, although I value her opinion very much.

I have found that you can really get caught up in "my DD needs/is this and my DD needs/is that" and really stress yourself out. I like that she is that calm voice in the storm and after a year of evaluations, what she has told me has come to fruition.

You can always get a second opinion. Use your critical thinking skills and ALWAYS do your research after anyone tells you anything. You are your child's best advocate.

I was worried that the EIP through PG county might not be as good as a private therapist but the PT from PG County runs circles around the private PT. I still attend sessions with all three, compare each one's advice and make my own decision on what my DD needs.

[Anonymous]

I, on the other hand, don't have very high regards for Dr. Glass. I saw her for my 2 yr old (at the time). she barely lifted her head to look at my son who was me. She had a student with her, so maybe she was just trying to act cool, but I thought she was pretty much worthless. She gave us a diagnosis of PDD-NOS, said put him in therapy and see you in 6 months.

I never went back to see her. She had nothing to offer and her diagnosis was very wrong. Even the schools gave DS an autism label, which is not handed out so readily in my county.

If you feel there is something wrong, best to go through early intervention. They will give you a better analysis and spend much longer with your child in the evaluation process.

Sorry if others feel differently. This was just my experience with her. I give her a big, fat two-thumbs down.

[Anonymous]

type..."look at my son who was WITH me"

[Anonymous]

That's good advice...contact Infants and Toddlers (county program) for a free and thorough multi/disciplinary eval. They don't diagnose but they will treat the various issues if necessary, so you will be on the right track even if you decide to wait for an spot at KKI rather than go to Dr. Glass ( who I don't know). Where do you live?

[Anonymous]

OP here - We live in DC and I've never heard of Early Intervention but will google it, thanks.

[Anonymous]

OP, I was not pleased with Dr. Glass's 'bed side' manner either, not very engaging, but she was able to accurately predict the future diagnosis for my son. I would trust her to eye any developmental concerns, and she will likely refer you to early intervention. 'Early intervention' is not a place but rather a city or county program that by law must evaluate and follow up with any child referred.

We are in Montogomery Co, where early intervention is pretty strong, but perhaps another poster on here from D.C. can offer more insight and information into the D.C. program.

It's wonderful that you are more optimistic about your baby's development than your ped, but it is much better to be proactive than to wait it out. At this point, try not to think of it as finding out that something is 'wrong' with your baby, but rather ensuring that she/he is developing as she/he should.

GL!

[Anonymous]

We saw Dr. Glass a little over a year ago for our 4yo. Her bedside manner was atrocious, and she wanted to have a detailed conversation about our son's negative behaviors in front of him (ie, talk with me about our son, in front of our son). I informed her that he understands most if not all of what we say and that I would prefer to converse privately. She then spent about 5-7 minutes 'evaluating' him and then pronounced him fine. She blamed any negative behaviors/developmental issues on our bad parenting. She was not supportive at all and I learned not a thing. That she wasn't covered by our insurance (she is not a medical doctor, but a psychologist) was the icing on the cake. I would go elsewhere. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

PP who recommended early intervention. We're also in MoCo...I'm not sure if DC services are as intensive. Anyone from DC have any feedback about the early intervention program there?

[Anonymous]

Another negative experience here with Dr. Glass. We found her condescending and dismissive, and she did not give us an accurate diagnosis at all.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to chime in on DC early intervention - they have been very helpful thus far; you just to need to fill out a form on-line, and they will contact you to set up an in-home evaluation. I self-referred, and my DD qualified for twice weekly in the home OT. They also complete a comprehensive report/evaluation that is helpful for your ped, etc. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

If you're looking for a wonderful developmental pediatrician, contact Karen Summar at Children's. Her specialty is Down syndrome, but she's worth checking into. She is warm, engaging, knowledgeable and knows when to refer when she should.

[Anonymous]

Have to chime in here - we saw Penny Glass twice for our daughter who was about 18 mos. old at the time 2005/2006. Our DD had multiple delays and our pediatrician sent us to see her. I had a similar negative experience as others have reported. Left that visit nearly in tears. I found her to be very cold, clinical, unsupportive, critical of our parenting - in short I felt demoralized after those appointments. Her advice, to focus on speech therapy, wasn't incorrect, but the negative effect of the visit wasn't really worth it. I wonder if she has just been doing this for so long that she forgets that she is speaking to very, very worried parents. It's actually a criticism I have of several departments at Children's. Sometime I think they are so concerned with the health of children in a broad, abstract, academic way that they forget that the little person in front of them is an individual and that that little person's family are individuals with very real feelings and anxieties about their child's future.

We did get help through DC Early Intervention and qualified for therapists to come to our home (this is dependent on how delayed in any area the child is) - all completely independent of anything Penny Glass had to say. IF there is something wrong, the earlier it is diagnosed and therapy begun, the better. DC Early Intervention is now called Early Stages. Here's a link: http://www.earlystagesdc.org/

I suppose my advice would be to keep the appointment with her, but don't expect anything resembling warm and fuzzy.

[Anonymous]

Chiming in as well... we saw Dr. Glass 3 times and each time was awful. Her style left so much to be desired but the worst part was she didn't understand why I would cry when discussing my dc's delay. It wasn't as if I became hysterical or inconsoleable but I did tear/choke up when she told me my child had a delay and should see a neurologist. I think any caring mother would get rattled by that and I certainly did - I choked up, stepped out of the room, composed myself (we're talking a minute here) and came back in, ready to listen. She told my husband I needed therapy.

She also didn't give us any clear direction so we used DC Early Intervention and things worked out just fine.

[Anonymous]

DC Early Intervention is now called Early Stages. Here's a link: http://www.earlystagesdc.org/

FYI - Early Stages is for 3-5 year olds (it used to be called the CARE Center). DC Early Intervention is still the same and is for children 0-2. Both are a part of the Office of the State Superintendent for Education. Here's a link to DCEIP: http://osse.dc.gov/seo/cwp/view,a,1222,Q,564133,PM,1.asp