Ronald I. Jacobson, MD

Ronald I. Jacobson, M.D. received his B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin and his M.D. degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He completed a pediatric internship, residency, and neurochemistry fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. His neurology residency and pediatric neurology fellowship were completed at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Hospital. Dr. Jacobson is Board Certified in Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology as well as in Pediatrics.

After many years of pediatric neurology practice in White Plains, NY, in 2007, he was appointed Chief of Pediatric Neurology at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York. His interests include the broad array of childhood neurological conditions, and in particular, those so complex that multidisciplinary diagnostic or therapeutic approaches are required.

Dr. Jacobson's practice serves Northern New Jersey, New York’s Hudson Valley, and Connecticut with offices in Sleepy Hollow, Suffern, Middletown, and Poughkeepsie. He works in a multidisciplinary setting of pediatric neurosurgeons, epileptologists, pediatric neuro-psychologists, and all pediatric sub-specialists in outpatient and inpatient settings.

The practice offers EEG, 24-hour EEG, and long-term monitoring (video EEG), CT scan (computerized axial tomography), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), neuropsychological testing, and other advanced diagnostic testing when needed such as the full range of genetic and neuro-imaging assessments.

Special Interests

• Adults with pediatric neurology disorders including – ADHD, Migraine, Epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, and teens with chronic neurological conditions as they transition to adult age
• Arnold - Chiari Malformation
• Autism
• Bell’s palsy
• Childhood ADHD
• Childhood epilepsy
• Childhood movement disorders including Tourette syndrome and related Tic disorders
• Guillain-Barré Syndrome and other childhood neuropathies
• Hydrocephalus
• Increased intracranial pressure such as pseudotumor cerebri
• Migraine headache syndromes and other chronic and complex headache disorders
• Learning Disabilities and school related problems
• Lyme disease
• Neuro-Behavioral Disorders (Psychiatry - Neurology interface)
• Neurogenic pain syndromes
• Neurocutaneous disorders including – Tuberous Sclerosis, Neurofibromatosis, Sturge-Weber Syndrome, and other uncommon conditions
• Sleep disorders
• Skull disorders and Plagiocephaly
• Spinal cord disorders

About Pediatric Neurology (also known as Child Neurology)

Pediatric neurologists receive training in pediatrics, then further training in adult and pediatric neurology including the necessary training, experience, and examinations to become board certified in a combination of Pediatrics, Adult, and Child Neurology. We are trained to diagnose and treat disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system in children and adults such as cognitive, speech and language delays, Autism, ADHD, headaches, seizures, muscle and nerve problems, and brain tumors. This includes diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles.

How to Prepare for a Visit and Assist your Doctor to Offer you the Best Care?

Please bring relevant copies of prior medical reports, current and past medication list, lab test results, and professional referral letters including reason for the visit, school reports from teachers, therapists, and private or school psychologists. If useful, bring relevant pictures or videos of suspected events such as tics, twitches, or seizures.

Also, bring a list of your child's developmental milestones, report cards, baby book with developmental milestones, written observations from teachers, and copies of any psychological or educational testing if relevant to the reason for the consultation. If growth is a concern, bring copies of growth medical records from your doctor including height, weight, and head circumference measurements.

For those patients with complaints of headaches or seizures, make use of the time prior to your visit to keep a diary or log of your child’s symptoms and complaints.

If your child was in an emergency room or had neurological testing, bring those records including copies of lab tests, CT scans, and MRI Scans (written reports and discs).

To save time prior to your visit – you can obtain and fill out the NEW PATIENT QUESTIONNAIRE FORM available from my office by fax, mail, or email.

Since an office visit requires many questions, a neurological exam, and then discussion of the findings and plan, it will be useful for you to be able to focus your attention without too many distractions. Bring someone who can assist you during the visit or to help keep your child or children entertained. Reassure your child there is nothing painful during the visit and neurological examination. Familiar toys, books, or electronic devices can be both entertaining and comforting.

For more information and office directions click here: http://bchphysicians.org/directory/ronald-jacobson/.