Over the years, Dr. Miotto has found that parents and caregivers come to her with a variety of questions and needing different types of guidance. Children are not “one-size-fits-all” so developmental and behavioral assessments can’t be cookie cutter either.

The parent consultation is an opportunity for the caregivers to work on developing the questions they have about their child’s current needs, offer their own observations of situations in which their child shines or struggles, bring any previous testing or school records for expert review, and ensure they have the physician’s full time and attention to offer a set of possible diagnoses and potential assessments to determine both the most appropriate diagnoses and best therapeutic options.

While there are a number of tools and tests to evaluate a child when there is a concern about autism, the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) is considered the “gold standard” of testing. Dr. Miotto is well-trained and experienced conducting the ADOS-2 in toddlers through teen years and using those results along with a special interview with family, input from teachers or therapists, and other medical information that only a pediatrician who has worked for decades with children can do.

Most importantly, Dr. Miotto’s experience assessing hundreds of children helps her create a nurturing, gentle, and joyful experience as she and the child’s family celebrate the strengths and explore the needs that make up the child’s approach to their world. Every child is unique. We take our time based on the child’s cues, and the family’s priorities take center stage.

Dr Miotto graduated with the award in pediatrics from George Washington University Medical School and completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. While at Children’s, which is a top-5 pediatric training program nationally, she participated in a selective outpatient pediatrics program in which she was trained to offer developmental and behavioral pediatric assessments in the community setting. Dr. Miotto had directed multiple specialty care clinics in complex ADHD in independent pediatric practices and community health centers over the years and cared for many children with autism spectrum disorder. When she saw the stress experienced by families who suspected autism but could not get timely assessment, Dr. Miotto traveled to New York to get trained in autism assessment and has been using these skills since 2018. She was also selected to participate in the Boston Medical Center Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics “minifellowship” in 2022, where she honed her skills and learned to administer more helpful assessments to guide the diagnosis, care, and advocacy for neurodivergent youth. Dr. Miotto completed her Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School in 2019 with a 4.0 GPA and was inducted into the public health honor society based on her capstone presentation on community diagnosis of autism.

Dr. Miotto is a member of the small appointed “Autism Subcommittee” at the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been working with other nationally-recognized and state autism professionals for many years. She brings all of that to the families that she partners with.

There is some overlap between the assessment schools do to use autism as an “eligibility criteria” for IEP services and the medical diagnosis but they are not exactly the same. Your insurance plan is likely to require a “letter of medical necessity” and/or a diagnostic letter from a physician or clinical psychologist to get autism therapy covered.

Dr. Miotto is able to use the initial and current IEP documents and your history to more efficiently determine if your child meets the medical criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. It tends to make the most sense for her to review all those educational documents in advance and have a Parent Consultation so the in-person testing can be focused and efficient.

AuDHD stands for Autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Because Dr. Miotto got her start in ADHD care, she is very comfortable diagnosing and helping children with AuDHD. In fact, Dr. Miotto has authored a nationally-recognized AAP curriculum on ADHD for her fellow pediatricians.

Dr. Miotto knows that every family has different priorities and values when it comes to ADHD care. A child with ADHD or AuDHD will generally benefit from evidence-based behavioral therapies and school accommodations. Some children are prescribed medications for ADHD that help them integrate the behavioral training and focus better in school. Dr. Miotto partners with parents on the steps that they are ready to try to help their children and families regain joy and stable relationships. If medication is prescribed, she is committed to a highly individualized approach that prioritizes family input and easy communication.

Dr. Miotto has been working with children and youth from 1-19 years old and they come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and home languages. She uses all the tools available as well as individualized questions and activities to understand each youth and how they process the environment, social situations, school, family, and inner feelings. Being able to use evidence-based assessment tools but deeply listening to the individual is what makes this work so meaningful for the doctor.

We are learning so much about girls and other groups that don’t look as much like the “typical” autistic youth. We may need to take different approaches, but Dr. Miotto is always enthusiastic about reaching all children.

Dr. Miotto has evaluated many pre-teens and teens and has diagnosed autism in youth of all ages. It is important for the child to get their own questions answered and Dr. Miotto will help your family navigate this journey.

Yes. Dr. Miotto is an experienced public speaker on general pediatric topics, community health, child development and behavior, and special topics of parenting children with autism or ADHD. You may contact her at the main phone number or at MBM2025@flourishingkidsbehavioralpediatrics. She will be adding on demand videos to this website later in 2025.

Dr. Miotto has lived in Massachusetts for almost 24 years. She and her husband have raised two sons in Northborough, serving the community through Scout leadership and other volunteer activity. She has been a mom to four Golden Retriever girls, including her special friend “Callie”.

Dr. Miotto has been a physician leader in Massachusetts where she is the Immediate Past President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and had held many leadership roles at the Massachusetts Medical Society. Nationally, she is on the editorial advisory team for the Bright Futures pediatric preventive care guidelines program at the American Academy of Pediatrics, has authored a policy statement on school health, and works on a number of child health committees. Dr. Miotto has authored national quality improvement educations programs on ADHD and Childhood Mental Health for pediatric teams. She has been appointed to two Massachusetts state behavioral health and child health advisory groups to help guide state child health policy. In addition to her behavioral pediatric practice, she practices general pediatrics part-time at Massachusetts community health centers.

In her spare time, Dr. Miotto loves to read, travel, cook, and take walks with her dog in the woods.

Dr. Miotto opened Flourishing Kids Behavioral Pediatrics because she too gets frustrated with the long wait lists “her families” have encountered in every area of Massachusetts. She will generally return your first phone call within 24-48 hours and can generally offer the first visit within a week. Sometimes it takes a little more than that for the family to assemble all the helpful paperwork from their primary care pediatrician and school and we get a better evaluation when everything is available, so that may delay the family just a little bit. Most of Dr. Miotto’s patients have scheduled an after-school, evening, weekend, or daytime visit within 10 days of first contact.

At this point, Dr. Miotto answers all phone messages and emails herself, so you won’t go through layers of people and weeks of waiting.

Dr. Miotto will drive to anywhere within Massachusetts state limits. She hasn’t figured out how to make this work with the Islands during winter months, but can partner with families on a plan that makes the best sense for your children.

The in-home evaluation is typically paired with video visits for the history and “debrief”/diagnosis and planning visits to be most efficient for you. The in-home evaluations carry a small travel surcharge to account for the doctor’s time on the road.

Dr Miotto recently began posting informational videos on Facebook and Instagram to demystify autism testing visits, offer questions you may want to ask an autism testing center, and more. We think you can get to know Dr. Miotto’s approachable, kid-friendly, and family-centered style from some of the video clips.