Yolanda C. Leon
American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology , USA
Title: A call to action - Transforming service delivery for the future
Biography
Biography: Yolanda C. Leon
Abstract
The 21st century has brought with it unique challenges for clinicians who work with this dynamic population with regard to developing, implementing, and researching evidence-based practices. These challenges require constant learning and ever present passion for one's own discipline, and ongoing interaction between professionals. Advances in technology bring new questions and problems to be solved with regard to their impact on child development, neurological development, social development, learning, health, disease, and behavior. We are faced with thinking about new challenges posed by the “digital age” and how those challenges impact our very precious and limited time, our attention, and other resources. rnAdvances in the way we conceptualize family systems dynamics, educational influences, and prevention and wellness programs all influence how we think about our patients, disease processes, intervention techniques, and pharamacological interventions. rnOur sensitivity to, and understanding of the child’s culture is influenced by an emerging body of literature that is available to make us “culturally competent”. We are invited to welcome diversity, disability, and differences and as leaders in our respective fields, we struggle with defining what that means to us as individuals, as professionals, and how we will exercise that newly defined understanding in research, our consultation, and our service delivery. rnMost importantly, we are called to lead; by learning, by succeeding, and even sometimes, by failing. Every effort at doing something to enhance the future of children’s health in our world is an opportunity to experience a valuable lesson. Whether we fail or we succeed, we must do something; and in doing so, we bring hope for a brighter future for those we serve. There is continued hope because of our dedication to lifelong learning, our sharing of ideas, and our willingness to always be the ones asking the difficult questions. rn
