About Dr. Bertin
Dr. Mark Bertin, a board certified developmental behavioral pediatrician, studied at Cornell University and the UCLA School of Medicine before completing general pediatric training at Oakland Children’s Hospital in California. After several years in general pediatrics he completed fellowship in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics at the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (Rose Kennedy Center) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Dr. Bertin is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College, is on the faculty of the Windward Teacher Training Institute, and from 2003 to 2010 was Director of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, working in their foster care program. Dr. Bertin is a faculty member at New York Medical College and the Windward Teacher Training Institute and has served on advisory boards for APSARD (the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders), Additude Magazine, Common Sense Media and Reach Out and Read. He is a frequent lecturer for parents, teachers and professionals on topics related to child development including autistic spectrum disorders, ADHD, parenting and mindfulness.
Dr. Bertin also leads mindfulness classes, having attended trainings at Jon Kabat Zinn’s Center for Mindfulness among many others, and he incorporates mindfulness into sessions on an individual basis for interested families. Dr. Bertin’s books The Family ADHD Solution, Mindful Parenting for ADHD, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Teen ADHD, and How Children Thrive integrate mindfulness into evidence-based pediatric care, and he is a contributing author for the textbook Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens.
About Molly Galdston, NP
Molly Galdston is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner with a previous background in psychology and clinical research. As an undergraduate student at Wheaton College (MA), Molly became interested in child development. During and following her undergraduate degree she gained job experience through clinical Autism research at the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC, formally of Albert Einstein Hospital, now Montefiore) and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In these roles Molly conducted confirmatory diagnostic testing using the gold standard clinical test known as the ADOS, as well as other developmental instruments, and co-authored several published research articles on related topics.
In an effort to reach a broader patient population, and with the goal of providing care consistent with a biopsychosocial model, Molly chose to return to school to become a nurse practitioner. Molly attended Columbia University’s accelerated nursing program completing a second bachelor’s and a master’s degree, and graduated with honors. Her master’s capstone thesis, entitled Mind over gut: Psychosocial management of pediatric functional abdominal pain, was published without revisions in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care.
Upon graduation from Columbia, Molly joined a pediatric practice in the South Bronx where she provided primary care, the highlights of which were getting to know patients and their families through long term relationship, while conducting developmental and mental health screening and follow up. She has also trained in The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, one of the most effective evidence-based approaches for the management of behavioral challenges in early childhood. Molly is thrilled to have specialized in developmental behavioral pediatrics, supporting parents, children and families together.
About Dr. Bertin’s Practice
Typically completed over the course of three visits, an initial evaluation includes a detailed history along with physical and neurological examinations. These appointments explore psychological, family and educational factors that may be triggering concerns. Developmental tests are used to observe your child’s cognitive, language, motor and academic abilities, or specific aspects of behavior, coordinated with in-office observations of development and behavior.
With a broad understanding of a child’s strengths as well as the likely causes of any difficulties, making skillful choices moving forward becomes easier for families. The goal is to create as comprehensive picture as possible of your child’s skills and to provide practical information for parents, schools and providers. After the evaluation you will receive a summary report, with an overview of behavioral planning, family supports, educational placement and services, medical interventions and, when needed, further testing. The intention is to develop a supportive, sustained relationship with your family and child, providing advice, coordinating services, and guiding your child towards long term success.
From this starting point, Dr. Bertin acts as a long-term resource. He helps monitor development, provide developmental, behavioral, educational and medical advice, and offers long term guidance in coordinating care for your child’s evolving needs. Parenting a child who is having difficulty can be extremely stressful and overwhelming, so there is an emphasis on working together to support your entire family. For those interested, mindfulness training is available on an individual basis.
Dr. Bertin will help you manage whatever academic planning, additional testing, and community based services are most appropriate for your child and your family. Problems such as learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autistic spectrum disorders have complex effects requiring care that integrates many different resources over time. And of course, not every child evaluated will turn out to have a specific developmental condition. Dr. Bertin can still help develop a plan to address your concerns or those of your child’s teachers, caretakers or therapists.