The traditional role of the pediatrician appears to be changing from the practice of preventive medicine for young children to extended care of patients through the college-age. The enlarged scope of pediatric involvement has included a most important role of intervention with a myriad of developmental and behavioral problems. The “high-risks” encountered (and effectively managed) during the newborn period, infancy and early childhood may resurface in the older child as a developmental, cognitive or behavioral disorder. Physicians have a unique opportunity to “quarterback” a specialized service team that contributes to the care of the child with developmental disabilities or behavioral problems. The multidiscipline approach to these complex disorders most often depends upon medical input, interpretation and coordination. The holistic concept of child health care, in its broadest dimensions, is an interdisciplinary challenge. The physician, as a team member, is vital in contributing to the welfare of the “high-risk-youth.” The potential pediatrician's involvement with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders of childhood may be reflected in the potential quality of the child's life.