The Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (DDBP)’s vision is to be the leader in improving health, quality of life, and outcomes in children and adolescents with developmental disabilities through:

  • Family centered care, including through transition to adulthood or to adult healthcare
  • Excellent, evidence-based clinical care, in an interdisciplinary model
  • Training to build leadership and capacity in the field of developmental disabilities
  • Contributions to the evidence base through innovative research in response to demonstrated need
  • Advocacy with and on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families
  • Collaborations with families, primary care providers, related Cincinnati Children's programs, educational systems, and community agencies.  

The division maintains long-standing programs focusing on interdisciplinary leadership training and impacting outcomes of individuals with disabilities through the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Development Program funded through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Cincinnati Children’s University Center of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities funded through Association of University Centers on Disabilities. The division is also part of two networks within the United States, the Autism Treatment Network (Autism Speaks) and the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network (Maternal and Child Health Research Program) , a network of 12 academic developmental and behavioral programs funded to establish a multi-center scientific and clinical research network that will promoting coordinated research activities for children with developmental disabilities.

Investigators in the division are currently focusing research efforts on adapting a web-based bullying curriculum for children and adolescents with high functioning autism, shared decision making for medication management in children with autism spectrum disorders, early intensive behavioral interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder, developing and improving chronic care models for children with autism spectrum disorders, developing social skills and independent skills training for adolescents with high functioning autism spectrum disorders, behavioral interventions for sleep in children with Down Syndrome, developmental needs of children in foster care, transition needs of adolescents with special healthcare needs, and determinants of social functioning in children who are Deaf/hard of hearing. 

Our investigators collaborate with a number of divisions in the institution including Adolescent and Transition Medicine, the James M Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence, Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Center for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Communications Sciences Research Center, Ear and Hearing Center, General and Community Pediatrics, Human Genetics, the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Neurology, and Psychiatry.