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Clinic Coordinator: Karen Mirras, RN
Clinic Location: Sparrow Professional Building, Suite 460
Clinic Hours: Mondays, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 517.364.5490 Fax: 517.364.5499
The Developmental Assessment Clinic (DAC) provides interdisciplinary screening for infants and children who have been discharged from the RNICU and for infants referred by mid-Michigan physicians. A visit to the clinic involves the child and parent(s) interacting with professionals from the following disciplines: neonatology, psychology, audiology, nursing and physical or occupational therapy. The DAC is not a treatment center. Emphasis is on screening and detecting physical and psychological delay. All results are reported to parents and the primary care physician. Upon defining a problem, the infant or child is referred to community services for intervention/treatment.
Babies in the RNICU who meet the criteria for follow up are seen at this clinic. Some of the criteria for follow up include:
- Very low birth weight (less than or equal to 1500 grams)
- Ventilator (greater than 7 days)
- Asphyxia
- Seizures
- Intraventricular Hemorrhage
- Microcephaly
- Sepsis or Documented infection
- Persistent Hypoglycemia
- Poor uterine growth
- Bilirubin (greater than or equal to 20 or need of exchange transfusion)
- Major congenital defect
- Developmental delays
The DAC attempts to follow RNICU graduates through the first three years of life. The children are seen at 6 months, 15 months, 2 years and 3 years of age. Data collected by the DAC supports other research findings that approximately 88-92% of referred risk infants will achieve normal growth and developmental milestones. The chance of such an infant reaching his/her full potential is still less than that of a full term infant.
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