FAQs About the Gender Development Program

The possible goals of an assessment are multiple and they vary from child to child and from family to family. Some common goals are to understand the child's:

• Cognitive, emotional and social aspects of the child's gender and sexuality development
• Concomitant mental health problems

And to help the child and his/her family with:

• Parenting approaches
• Dealing with siblings, persons outside the family, schools, and/or other social groups

Appointments are generally scheduled for Thursday mornings from 9 - 11:00 a.m. at Children's National Hospital (111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC) Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic (located on the P1 level of the hospital's West Wing). It is recommended that both parents (if the child has two parents) and the child attend the meeting.

Typically evaluations take the full two hours. A team led by David Call, M.D., conducts the interviews of the parent and the child. Parent(s) and child are seen together and separately over the course of the evaluation. While parents are being interviewed (30-45 minutes), children stay in the waiting room unsupervised. Please bring an adult companion to stay with your child if he or she is unable to be left unsupervised in the waiting area.

Occasionally parents wish to come to the first appointment by themselves. Although this arrangement is acceptable, it may require a separate appointment with the child to complete the evaluation.

Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, and the fact that sometimes parents and young children have not yet had discussions about it, we recommend that the child be prepared to attend the appointment. You might explain that you [his or her parent(s)] are looking for assistance from a specialized doctor to learn how to parent in the best possible way and that you wish to learn how to help her/him feel good about herself/himself. This example is one that is often useful for young children, but different explanations may be more appropriate depending on age and circumstances.

Some children feel apprehensive about being asked potentially embarrassing or sensitive questions. In such cases, it is important to reinforce that the child will not have to answer any questions that feel too uncomfortable. Some children and teens welcome the idea of meeting someone who can help them with their feelings; in that case the child can be told that he or she will meet with a doctor who understands and with whom he or she can talk privately about their feelings.

If you have medical and school records, drawings, writings, journals, photos or other materials that you think would help us more fully understand your child, please feel free to bring them to the appointment.

• Care is individualized for each patient and always involves families making decisions in coordination with a team of highly trained pediatric specialists.
• Parental consent is required to provide gender-affirming medical care to a minor in the District of Columbia.
• Our medical care is directed by fully licensed, board-certified attending physicians and is consistent with the standard of care supported by leading medical organizations.
• We do not provide gender-affirming surgery for anyone under the age of 18.
• We do not provide hormone therapy to children before puberty begins.