The Developmental and Family Services Unit—a model AIDS project serving developmentally disabled children and their families

This paper describes a model program that uses a multidisciplinary team to assess the developmental and psychosocial needs of HIV-infected children and their families. The objective of the program is to assess the needs of the children, in order to provide rehabilitative and psychosocial services; and to improve the quality of life by optimizing developmental functioning. The team includes developmental pediatricians, social workers, psychologists, a medical ethicist, physiatrist, psycho-educational specialist, and occupational, physical, and language therapists, each of whom perform complete evaluations. A weekly conference results in the formation of an Individual Family Service Plan for each child and family. Forty children have been evaluated and are in program. Family compositions were varied and nontraditional. The disabilities and rehabilitative needs differed as well. The most frequently required services were occupational therapy and psychosocial intervention, to increase parental coping skills in handling disabled, chronically ill children. Children with HIV infection are living longer and will have serious deficits. The need to develop services to address the unique developmental and psychosocial needs of the children and families is paramount.