Developmental pediatrician Dr. Conlon?

[Anonymous]

We have been looking for developmental pediatrician for evaluating our DS age 7 for PDD/ ADHD. Has anybody had any experience with Dr. Charles Conlon at Bethesda? The wait at KK for an appt is 12 months and Georgetown can only see us in March. Please write with any input. Thanks for your time.

[Anonymous]

At Bethesda where?

We tried to get an appt. with Dr. Conlon, also for ADHD, last Jan. when he was at Children's (Shady Grove location) (the wait for any dev. ped. was summer 08 at that time), but was told he was leaving Children's and not taking appointments. FWIW, we obviously did not see him, but he came recommended by our child psy.

[Anonymous]

I've also heard excellent things about Dr. Conlon, but could not get an appt. If you can get one, take it! Also, I was told that the wait at KK was 10-12 months, but they called me back within well under 6 for an appt. I asked to be put on their cancellation list, and a bunch of appts opened up all at once. It can be frustrating, but gang in there.

[Anonymous]

Love Dr Conolon. He is outstanding. Get your pediatrician to call to make the appointmnent. It always helps.

[Anonymous]

Where is he now?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the replies. I called his office and got an appt for December. He is at 6420 Rockledge Dr., Suite 4290, Bethesda MD 20817. Tel [phone]. Good luck!

[[e-mail]]

Hi-
I had both of my children see Dr. Conlon, who came highly recommended, as soon as he left Childrens. He was very personable and pleasant. However, after paying a big chunk out of pocket, and going on multiple visits for evaluation, we never got a report of any sort. Additionally, when I tried to contact him for advice re: developmental issues, my calls/emails were not returned or returned late. When he did call, from his car, he did not know who the kids were and gave me no useful advice or contacts. I am really not sure what his role is and told him so -- nicely.
So! I hate to say negative things, but I wonder if something is going on in his life or if he is disorganized or what.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

My son (almost 8) recently saw Dr. Conlin for an evaluation. We really liked him and he is working with us on medication issues. We have not received our initial evaluation from him yet but we have already had a full neuropsychological exam done from another doctor. The front office staff have always been receptive when I call as well.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP---that is not supposed to be a smiley face but an 8! (as in almost 8 years old)

[Anonymous]

We recently took our toddler to Dr. Conlon for an evaluation for a suspected (and confirmed) autism spectrum disorder. Our pediatrician recommended him because of reputation and the fact that we would be able to get in to see him sooner than any place else because he'd just entered private practice. She was right. We were able to see him within a couple of weeks. He's extremely personable and has been quick to respond to my emails (indeed, he encourages us to use email). However, as someone else said, we've yet to receive our report/formal diagnosis even though we saw him almost two months ago.

I don't know if this is useful or possible, but perhaps you could circumvent the wait list by participating in one of the Kennedy Krieger studies. Our daughter will be participating in one for one-year olds who are showing red flags for autism and hence will be getting her now umpteenth evaluation. We were very impressed with the clinician we met. You might contact them regarding participating in a study - it might be one way to get yourself an evaluation relatively quickly and possibly free services.

[Anonymous]

I agree with getting your name on the list at KK for a cancellation. My nephew was called in after 3 months with a cancellation. Once you have your foot in the door there, it's easier to get later appointments if you choose to use them for therapies or additional assessments.

[Anonymous]

We saw a developmental pediatrician (not Dr. Conlon) at Childrens the next day after calling. I called and
found out there was a cancellation, and then stayed on the phone (various calls) for 3 hours
and got the appointment. (The office staff at Children's Hospital is not the best.)

I also got a same day appointment with a gasteroenterologist at Childrens by letting them know I
was available at a momenjavascript:void(0);ts notice.

[Anonymous]

I really hate dealing with Children's. Geez, if you have a child with a medical problem they should know you are anxious and stressed and be a bit more user-friendly.

[Anonymous]

We are seeing Dr. Conclon next week and have heard great things and he has been great on the phone so far. His front office staff have been stellar. We have been fortunate to get in to see him within three weeks of calling. As for KK, their reputation is strong , as we all know, but I had a horrendous experience with them several years ago. I was told my son was "severely autistic", should "institutionalize him", "will never have a relationship with another human being", and "get on with my life." They were as wrong as wrong could be. He is in main stream public school, has friends, is on a hockey team, lacrosse team and while he has an IEP and we are working on some social awkwardness - he will be as dysfunctional as the rest of us. I write this so no one has the same experience as we did. I knew something was wrong and wouldnt have flown to Baltimore (we now live in the DC area) if we werent concerned but the eval was horribly administered and I learned the doctor that saw him was a researcher without experience in seeing children. While a painful experience and very expensive visit, going to KK taught me to be my son's advocate! His diagnosis is ADHD and we have a long road in front of us but if I did what KK recommended, my son would be in an institution.

[Anonymous]

We have taken our child to Dr. Conlon for the last four years. We have seen him at Children's and since he has had his own practice. We have found his help to be priceless. He has referred us to the outside help we needed, and his evaluations have been very helpful.

While at Children's Hospital, the written evaluation took a long time to receive, but currently it only took about a week after our visit. I would highly recommend him. I have had several friends with children that have special kinds of needs, and all have them have been referred to Dr. Conlon. (by different pediatricians) They have all been pleased with the evaluation.
If it takes a long time to get an appointment, it is because he is good.