Baystate Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Pittsfield
Pediatricians, Nutritionists, Gastroenterologists
Address: 777 North Street
Suite 303
| Pittsfield, MA
01201
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Insurances:
Aetna,
Ambetter,
Cigna,
ConnectiCare,
Coventry Health Care,
Health Net,
Medi-Cal,
Medicare,
Tricare,
UnitedHealthcare,
Managed Health Network (MHN),
MultiPlan,
PHCS,
Ages Served:
Infants to adolescents
Care Settings:
In-clinic,
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About Baystate Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Pittsfield
Baystate Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Pittsfield offers a complete range of services, both inpatient and outpatient, for the evaluation and treatment of infants, children, and adolescents with digestive problems.
Our team in made up of experts who provide detailed nutrition counseling to patients and parents, both in the hospital and outpatient
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Please note that without member information we cannot guarantee that
your specific plan covers these services. We recommend asking the care
provider before beginning services.
Aetna
Ambetter
Cigna
ConnectiCare
Coventry Health Care
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777 North Street
Suite 303,MA,01201
Get in Contact
(413) 794-5437
Frequently Asked Questions
Your pediatrician might be able to administer screenings, but most general doctors are not trained to formally diagnose autism. They might refer you to a qualified diagnostic clinician which include:
Developmental Pediatricians
Child Psychologists
Child Psychiatrists
Pediatric Neurologists
Pediatric Neuropsychologists
Your experience might look different depending on the type of clinician you choose. Many families prefer working with developmental pediatricians. Others might work with a psychiatrist or another specialist to get a different perspective.
A formal ASD diagnosis, or a medical diagnosis, helps you get the support your family needs, especially within the context of accessing medically necessary therapies and services.
Insurance Coverage for Therapies: Medically necessary therapies for ASD are often covered by insurance including, but not limited to, speech therapy, ABA therapy, and occupational therapy.
Financial Support: A diagnosis is required when applying for social security or disability benefits.
Plan for Care: A diagnosis helps identify your child’s support needs. For example, your child might need to develop social communication and self-regulation skills.
Future Research: The more data we gather through evaluations, the more we can improve services for autistic children and adults.
Yes, picky and selective eating is actually a quite common concern for children with autism. If you rolled your eyes looking at the steps above because your child with autism has never had a full day's serving of vegetables in their life, you are definitely not alone. As if getting kids to eat their veggies isn’t challenging enough, research shows children with autism have significantly more eating challenges than their peers who are not autistic.
In addition to sensory difficulties that can lead to a lot of anxiety with food, autistic children are 4x more likely to have gastrointestinal issues such as stomach pain and discomfort. This creates the perfect storm for extra extra picky eaters - and a lot of added obstacles and concerns for parents.
The difficulties associated with autistic children and food can cause a wide range of concerns from children being underweight to overweight (overweight children can still be at risk for nutritional deficiencies!). This can lead to slower than normal growth and nutritional deficiencies like low vitamin D and calcium levels. Even when given multivitamins, many children with autism are still found to have some of these nutritional deficiencies.
Here are some tips:
Keep to a schedule - setting schedules for meal and snack time can help picky eaters build up their appetite throughout the day
Minimize distractions - removing distractions like screens and toys can help your child be more engaged at mealtime
Approach new foods together - Make new foods less scary by trying them together. Touching and smelling the food together before tasting it
Support choice & control - Allowing your child to pick which foods they eat will help them feel more in control
It may not seem obvious, but eating is a complex behavior that involves perceptual, emotional, and cognitive processes. And we know that children with autism process things differently. While many of us look forward to things like our afternoon snack, it may be an activity that causes a lot of anxiety for your child.
Parents describe food selectivity being determined by a few of the following factors: texture (69%), appearance (58%), taste (45%), smell (36%), and temperature (22%). Uniform texture, bland and neutral color foods are reported to be overwhelmingly preferred by more than 90% of children with ASD.
A Pediatric Gastroenterologist manages digestive health in children. This field covers the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract including the hepatobiliary-pancreatic systems (think absorbing nutrients from our food, eliminating waste, etc.) and nutritional disorders (think obesity, malnutrition, etc.).
Get in touch with Baystate Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Pittsfield