Privacy Policy

Confidentiality

The information that you provide us will be kept strictly confidential by our team, and treated as Protected Health Information (PHI). This means that we will not release any information about you, your child, or your family without your express written consent. We follow the same rules regarding PHI as your pediatrician and other health care professionals.

Our clinical trials are covered by a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health. This Certificate means that we cannot disclose any information that may identify you in any legal proceeding, or be used as evidence, for example, if there is a court subpoena, unless you have consented for this use. Information protected by this Certificate cannot be disclosed to anyone else who is not connected with the research unless (a) federal, state, or local law requires disclosure (e.g., to report child abuse), (b) if you have consented to the disclosure, including for your medical treatment, or (c) if it is used for other scientific research, as allowed by federal regulations protecting research subjects.

A Certificate of Confidentiality does not prevent you from voluntarily releasing information about yourself or your involvement in this research. If you want your research information released to someone not connected with the research, you must provide consent to allow us to release it.

Under certain conditions, we are legally and ethically obligated to release information about a child or family whether or not the caregiver approves. These conditions are:

• Suspected abuse (physical, sexual, or neglect) of children, the aged, and the disabled: As psychologists, we are required by law to report suspected abuse to the Florida Department of Children and Families. All citizens of the State of Florida are mandated to report suspected abuse to the Abuse Hotline: 1-800-96-ABUSE.
• Danger to self or others: If a child or caregiver is thought to be at high risk for suicide, then their family and/or the authorities may need to be notified to protect the person. Likewise, in instances where a client threatens serious bodily harm we may have to notify the intended victim and police.

If confidentiality is broken or your records released because of any of the above three reasons, you will be notified.

Email Communication

Please do not include protected health information in emails. Florida has very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from state officials are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your email communications may be subject to public disclosure.

Florida public records law does not apply to the information you and your child provide via telephone and during your appointments at the Children's Learning Clinic. That information is protected by confidentiality law. If in doubt, call us instead of emailing us.