Boston Children's Hospital is a comprehensive center for pediatric health care. As one of the largest pediatric medical centers in the United States, Boston Children's offers a complete range of health care services for children from birth through 21 years of age. (Our Advanced Fetal Care Center can begin interventions at 15 weeks gestation, and in some situ
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Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)
300 Longwood Avenue,MA,02115
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(617) 355-6000
contact@childrenshospital.org
Reviews
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Worked there for years. Place is overrated. Definitely not the best hospital in the world. Not even close. Staff is mostly pretentious and entitled. The working environment is toxic and depressing. The cafeteria is a step below your local fast food joint. Parking fees alone will bankrupt you. Everything is super expensive. But they do have a lot of clowns and few of them are professionals.
Michael Blizniuc
17 March 2024
google review
Just had breast reduction Im fully awake at 10 pm and so so so excited I got these done. Even though I was super nervous crying. The nurses and doctor are absolutely sweet Even when I woke up from surgery. Thank you Dr.Rodgers
Soft Teddy
17 March 2024
google review
Went here for anorexia nervosa. traumatized me and I still get anxious around the topic. Im sure its a wonderful hospital for children who are sick but they have no idea how to handle a child with mental health. I was asked How i had such control threatened when struggling and the nurses watch me sob because of the pain i was in. one of the nurse practitioners told me i had another person in my brain and accused me of over exercising and i wasnt aloud out of bed.
Elle Solari
17 March 2024
google review
My 3 month old son tested positive for rsv a week ago was told by so many doctors that he was fine because his oxygen was at 99 I never trusted that he was trying too hard to breathe wasnt eating or going to the bathroom. Immediately Boston childrens got him in a room an within 30 minutes got him on a machine to help him breathe without trying so hard they were amazing in certain they saved his life with how hard he was trying to breathe on his own. His team on floor were the sweetest most attentive group of dr nurses Ive ever met. Thank you so much
paige courtney
03 March 2024
google review
Staff was extremely efficient and helpful despite how busy they were. Staff did everything they could to make sure our visit was as smooth as possible. My toddler was seen by Doctor Richard who was very sweet gentle and patient with her throughout the entire visit which was very much appreciated. The doctors nurses were also very good at keeping me in the loop and keeping me informed with everything that was going on. Great hospital.
Chloe Dasilva
25 February 2024
google review
Allysen Hicks at Boston Childrens Hospital was incredible. Her care and support on 6 North were beyond words. She truly stood out and made a world of difference.
Daniel
25 February 2024
yelp review
This is a review for the Boston Childrens Cafeteria which is excellent They have a Subway a pizza stand and several hot food options every day. During...
Joyce K.
16 February 2024
yelp review
This review is specifically related to their BILLING department. There is a complete disconnect in systems and communications between the business office...
Joann H.
02 February 2024
google review
The radiology dept was fantastic. The MRI try without anesthesia program was a game-changer that every doctor should be aware of. My 10 month old made it through an IV with no tears or numbing and then slept naturally for the hour long scan. Thank you BCH radiology team.
Alexina Jones
17 January 2024
yelp review
I cannot thank Boston Childrens hospital enough. During our entire stay the nurses and doctors went above and beyond to take great care of our child....
Eri H.
02 January 2024
google review
The surgery department at Boston Childrens works like clockwork but avoid the ER if you can help it. Absolutely the worst ER experience by far. Avoid at all cost. We came in with appendicitis after our doctor called it in still had to wait 1.5 hours before we got admitted when we came in the room was still with the dirty bedlinen so we waited in the hallway for them to clean up.3 hours to get ultrasound results interpreted inconclusive results of labs inconclusive 2 more hours here and there to discuss treatment plan finally they did only after I threatened to leave the 2 more hours from decision to perform MRI to actual MRI results were told it would take 15 min. Booked for overnight stay until early morning surgery only to be told there is no room in the hospital and had to stay in the ER room. At least they actually administered antibiotics. If I had not threatened to leave they would have waited for my childs appendicitis to burst before acting. Most annoying there are about 3 admins staring at computers for every working ER doctor or nurse. We were asked the same questions over and over again I am sure we will get billed for these useless conversations. If you get transferred from elsewhere straight into the hospital you would probably be fine the surgery department worked great for us.
Virginia Savova
17 December 2023
google review
My son was airlifted to Boston childrens hospital from NY and stayed for about 3 weeks he was in bad condition Im highly pleased with all of the staff that cared for him They ALL did such a amazing job I couldnt be there as much as I wanted but the doctors and nurses made sure to update me immediately when there was a new update no update was too small for them to give me a call. Also the social worker Katherine was the most amazing She constantly checked in on me and my son and she always called me or emailed me to keep in contact. She also made sure she did everything she could do to ensure I made it to Boston to be there with my son and I had what I needed to be comfortable during such a hard time. The dr also went out of his way and brought my son Chick-fil-A that put a huge smile on his face and still talks about how cool the dr is for that ill forever and always recommend Boston childrens hospital
Laura Jones
17 November 2023
google review
Boston Childrens has been amazing the staff are so kind and friendly very knowledgeable of and informative of everything going on with their patient. They have tons of activities going on everyday to keep the kids busy and spirits high. The nurses are always checking in with the parents making sure they are okay and if they need something they make sure it is taken care of. Thank you Boston Childrens and staff for everything you have done and continue to do for my family we love you
Keven Elliott
17 March 2019
Frequently Asked Questions
Use visual aids. You can use picture schedules, videos, social stories, and other visual aids to show your child what to expect.
Take your child for a practice visit. This can be the same as the orientation visit, or it can be a “dry run” of an appointment where the dentist doesn’t actually work on your child’s teeth yet.
Bring items to fulfill sensory needs. Bringing your child’s favorite fidgets and toys so they can play during the appointment will be helpful.
Reduce unnecessary stress before and after. Reduce demands by wearing comfortable clothes, getting lots of rest, eliminating unnecessary activities (like grocery shopping — order for pick up!), and doing the things that relax your child. Your child will be able to regulate better when every day stressors are kept at a minimum.
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.
When you visit a neurologist, they’ll assess your child’s needs, run some tests (think imaging or EEG), and diagnose. From there, they’ll create a customized treatment plan. Medication, lifestyle tweaks, or maybe even a referral to another specialist could be on the table.
There unfortunately isn’t one test for all neurodevelopmental conditions. Most likely you will go into a visit to test one or two medical conditions. If you are looking for a comprehensive autism evaluation, developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists are the preferred specialists who can diagnose autism.
No, neurologists focus mainly on non-surgical interventions. If your child needs surgery, neurologists might point you in the direction of a pediatric neurosurgeon.
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.