Reading · "Ask the Developmental Paediatrician"

Summary:
Dr. Sudipta Sen, a consultant paediatrician with over 33 years of experience across NHS and private practice, joins Dr. Inyang Takon to unpack what it really means to "see the whole child." Drawing on a career that began at one of Kolkata's busiest hospitals and was shaped by a formative encounter with Mother Teresa, Dr. Sen explains why she pushes back against rigid referral criteria, how she builds trust with a child in the first moments of an appointment, and why a diagnosis should open a roadmap for a child — not define them.

Key Takeaways for Parents and Teachers:

A diagnosis explains a behaviour; it's the whole-child view that explains the person — don't let a label become the whole story.
Children shouldn't have to "fit" narrow referral criteria to get support — if something isn't working for a child, it's worth pursuing even without a tidy diagnostic fit.
Teachers and parents should assume good faith in each other: a child who "looks fine" at school may be dysregulated at home, and vice versa — neither setting invalidates the other.
Trust-building starts small — Dr. Sen gets down to a child's eye level, shares something personal about herself, and treats the child (not just the parent) as the main person in the room.
Burnout in this field is real; Dr. Sen's advice to fellow clinicians is to keep learning, find mentors, and hold onto interests outside of medicine.

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