Depending on where you live, you may be able to find competent, compassionate medical professionals with expertise in DSD through your local medical center, particularly through your region’s children hospital. A good specialty to start with is pediatric endocrinology because that field’s training includes substantial education in DSD. (You can call and ask for an appointment with a pediatric endocrinologist.)
Accord Alliance is working to ensure that all regions benefit from high-quality team DSD care, but you should be aware that not all regions currently have organized DSD teams. This means that not all pediatricians and pediatric specialists will be aware of the latest medical consensuses and resources available on DSD. For that reason, we recommend that when you meet with a physician or other medical professional to talk about your child’s care, you try to bring the following copies with you:
- the 2006 consensus for DSD care supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (click here to download a copy);
- Quality Care Indicators for DSD care (available by clicking here);
- Handbook for Parents (available as a downloadable PDF by clicking here);
- Clinical Guidelines for the Management of DSD in Childhood (available as a downloadable PDF by clicking here).
We also recommend that you encourage all of your child’s doctors (including his or her primary pediatrician) to visit our website to find free resources available to support them as they care for your child.
Posted in: Medical Care