Dr. Howard King has been a pediatrician in private practice for over 25 years and has held a National Institute of Mental Health fellowship in child psychiatry. He also serves as an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, is on staff at Children\'s Hospital and Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and has worked with a number of health plans, including Pilgrim and Aetna. A consultant to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, he is a member of the Bright Futures Panel to redirect the focus of pediatric care to include a broader concern for psychosocial issues and prevention of family problems. Dr. King has provided some ideas that may assist parents with communicating with their child\'s physician and that may provide insight into the problem of effective communication.
Not long ago, a friend asked me what was the most common question parents ask about the emotional development of children. Initially, I was uncertain about the answer. Was it, "Is my child's behavior... [more]