Multidisciplinary Specialists Available

The UAB Behavioral Genetics Clinic, which opened in 2007, combines the skills of experts in genetics, child neurology, and developmental pediatrics to provide a single medical home for children and adults who have complicated genetic disorders that feature problematic behavior and developmental delay as integral components.

The behavioral aspects of these disorders can be overwhelming for families, and problems may increase as patients mature and potentially become physically imposing to aging parents. A team approach to treatment and counseling offers practical, coordinated assistance, says UAB pediatric neurologist Alan K. Percy, MD, clinic director. Percy, associate director of the UAB Civitan International Research Center, is recognized as a leading authority on Rett syndrome and other inherited childhood neurodegenerative disorders.

The Behavioral Genetics Clinic, one of the multidisciplinary UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics, offers comprehensive diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of children and adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Clinics provide full-service clinical programs, including dental care.

The Behavioral Genetics Clinic meets monthly, primarily seeing patients with a defined diagnosis of Angelman, Prader-Willi, velocardiofacial (DiGeorge), or Williams syndromes, but is not limited to patients with these conditions. Most are aged 1 to 10 years and are seen once or twice a year. Clinic faculty and staff also see adolescents and adults. Families consult with a team of specialists that includes Percy, geneticist Edward J. Lose, MD, a registered nurse, developmental psychologist, nutritionist, and social worker. Patients also have access to consulting psychiatrists, cardiologists, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists.

“We saw the need for a clinic that evaluates problematic situations, provides directed management, and offers hands-on help with issues that often involve nutritional problems,” Percy says.

“The clinic is of extra value when a patient develops symptoms of a complication expected at a particular developmental stage — such as hypertension resulting in renal disease in Williams syndrome or orthopaedic problems associated with excessive weight in Prader-Willi syndrome,” he says.

Lose, Percy, and geneticist Nathaniel H. Robin, MD, developed the clinic. “When I saw these patients in my 13-year community pediatrics practice I often had to make appointments with multiple specialists plus ancillary care providers,” Lose says. “These specialists and others are available in the new clinic and all have experience managing behavioral genetic conditions. Our goal is not only to treat illness, but also to help these patients participate as fully as possible in all aspects of life.”

“Because these genetic conditions are rare, many families feel isolated, but this clinic draws a large enough population from all the disorders so patients and their families feel part of a larger community,” he says.

For more information:
Dr. Alan Percy
Dr. Edward Lose
Dr. Nathaniel Robin
1.800.UAB.MIST
mist@uabmc.edu