How to Prepare for a PANDAS Specialist Appointment

A PANDAS specialist appointment is typically 15 to 30 minutes. What you bring into that room determines almost entirely how useful it is.

What PANDAS Specialists Need to See

PANDAS specialists are pattern-matchers. They need a longitudinal record showing abrupt onset, temporal correlation with strep or other infection, episodic course, and the specific symptom profile. A story is not a clinical picture. A structured timeline is.

The Four Documents Every Appointment Should Include

1) Symptom severity timeline over at least 90 days with major events marked. 2) Trigger and exposure log with strep diagnoses, other illnesses, and stressors. 3) Complete treatment history with start dates, doses, and end dates. 4) Current symptom baseline and what has changed since the last visit.

What to Do in the First Five Minutes

Hand your documentation to the specialist before they ask. Say: "I have a report covering the last three months." That single action transforms how the appointment runs — the specialist can orient to your child's clinical picture instead of reconstructing it from verbal history.

Questions That Get Better Answers

Ask specific questions rooted in your data: "We saw a symptom spike on these dates with a confirmed strep exposure 10 days prior — does that timeline fit the PANDAS model?" Specific questions tied to documented data get more useful responses than open-ended questions.

PANDAS Tracker generates a structured clinical report in one tap. Free on iOS and Android.