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Pediatric Neurologist and Child Development Specialist
Dr. Ravital Lavi is a pediatric neurologist and child development specialist with extensive experience working with children who have neurological conditions, developmental differences, and complex movement disorders.
A large part of her clinical work involves evaluating and following children with attention difficulties, disorders affecting the muscles and nervous system, movement-related conditions, and developmental or communication challenges.
In pediatric neurology, symptoms often need to be viewed in a broader context rather than separately. For that reason, Dr. Lavi focuses not only on the diagnosis itself, but also on how the child develops over time and how different symptoms affect daily life.
Alongside her hospital work, Dr. Lavi also provides private consultations for families from Israel and abroad.
Looking for a pediatric neurology consultation or developmental evaluation for your child?
Dr. Ravital Lavi provides private consultations for children with neurological conditions, developmental concerns, movement disorders, and neuromuscular diseases.
For a private consultation with Dr. Ravital Lavi at Tel Aviv Medical Clinic:
📞 Phone: +972-73-374-6844
📧 Email: [email protected]
💬 WhatsApp: +972-52-337-3108
Main Areas of Expertise
Dr. Lavi evaluates and follows children with a wide range of neurological and developmental conditions, including:
- Attention regulation difficulties and hyperactivity in children (ADHD)
- Headaches in children and adolescents
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Muscular dystrophies
- Pediatric movement disorders
- Spasticity and dystonia
- Child development evaluations
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy
- Various neurological conditions in children
Clinical Experience
2020 — Present:
Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov)
Senior physician in the Pediatric Neurology and Child Development Department. Head of the multidisciplinary Duchenne/Becker clinic and senior physician in the pediatric cerebral palsy clinic.
2020–2025:
Pediatric neurologist and child development specialist, Clalit Health Services, Zikhron Yaakov
2011–2017:
Pediatrician, Clalit Health Services, Binyamina
Education and Medical Training
- 1998–2005 — Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- 2005–2006 — Internship, Shaare Zedek Medical Center
- 2006–2011 — Pediatric residency, Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh)
- 2017–2020 — Fellowship in Pediatric Neurology and Child Development, Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov)
Academic Activity
2023–2024
- Lecturer, School of Occupational Therapy, Tel Aviv University
- Lecturer, Faculty of Postgraduate Medical Education, Tel Aviv University
Courses and Additional Training
- 2018 — Good Clinical Practice, Tel Aviv Medical Center
- 2017 — Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- 2006 — Pediatric resuscitation training (PALS/APLS), Schneider Children’s Medical Center
- 2006 — S.T.A.B.L.E Program, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center
Research and Publications
Dr. Lavi has participated in several clinical studies related to pediatric neurology and neuromuscular disorders.
Selected publications include:
- Gene replacement therapy for spinal muscular atrophy — Pediatric Neurology, 2023
- Clinical research involving epilepsy treatment monitoring in children
- Endonasal endoscopic drainage of frontal lobe epidural abscess
Scientific Conferences
Dr. Lavi has presented at approximately 15 scientific conferences in the field of pediatric neurology.
Professional Memberships
- Israeli Pediatric Neurology Association
- Israeli Association for Child Development and Rehabilitation
- Israeli League Against Epilepsy
- European Pediatric Neurology Society
Languages
- Hebrew
- English
Private Consultation
Dr. Ravital Lavi provides private pediatric neurology consultations and developmental evaluations for children from Israel and abroad.
To schedule a consultation:
📞 Phone: +972-73-374-6844
📧 Email: [email protected]
💬 WhatsApp: +972-52-337-3108
Frequently Asked Questions — Dr. Ravital Lavi
1. My child suddenly became very distracted at school. Does that automatically point to ADHD?
Not really.
To be honest, I see quite a few children who arrive with that suspicion, and later it turns out the situation is much more complicated — or much simpler.
Sometimes it’s stress. Sometimes anxiety. Sometimes sleep. And yes, sometimes it actually is ADHD. But I usually try not to put a label on things too quickly, especially after one conversation.
Children change a lot. That’s important.
2. My daughter complains about headaches almost every week. Should I be worried?
Depends what kind of headaches we’re talking about.
If it’s occasional headaches after school or long days — honestly, that’s very common. Especially in teenagers.
What worries me more is when parents tell me things are becoming more intense over time. Headaches waking a child up at night, vomiting, changes in behavior… that’s different.
Most of the time it doesn’t end up being something dangerous. But I still prefer parents not to sit at home trying to guess.
3. What do parents usually notice first in muscle or nerve disorders?
Usually not the “medical” thing.
Parents notice everyday stuff first. A child suddenly avoids stairs. Stops running as much. Falls more often. Gets tired strangely fast.
I’ve had parents apologize during appointments and say, “Maybe I’m imagining it.” And sometimes they’re not imagining anything at all.
So if something feels consistently off — it’s reasonable to check.
4. If a child starts walking late, does it always mean something neurological?
No.
And honestly I think the internet made this fear much worse for parents over the last few years.
Some completely healthy children simply develop later. That exists.
At the same time, there are situations where delayed walking is part of a broader neurological picture, which is why context matters more than one milestone by itself. I usually look at the whole child first, not only one developmental chart.
5. When do you start suspecting cerebral palsy?
There isn’t always one dramatic moment.
Sometimes it’s muscle stiffness. Sometimes asymmetry. Sometimes parents just feel the movement “doesn’t look right,” even before they know how to describe it.
And actually… parents are often right when they feel something changed.
But similar signs can appear in other conditions too, so I’m usually very careful not to rush into conclusions too early.
6. What happens during a developmental evaluation?
It’s usually much less formal than parents expect.
Honestly, half of the consultation is just watching the child naturally — how they play, respond, move around the room, react to parents, communicate.
Some children open up immediately. Some don’t talk at all during the first visit and then surprise everyone later.
That’s why one short checklist is almost never enough.
7. If a child has delayed speech, does that mean autism?
No. Not by itself.
I probably repeat this almost daily.
There are children with speech delay who are extremely social and interactive. There are children where the main issue is hearing, attention, anxiety, or developmental pace.
So I really try to calm parents down before they jump into worst-case scenarios after reading things online for two hours at night.
Because that happens a lot.
8. Can families outside Israel arrange consultations remotely?
Yes, of course.
Usually families send records first — MRI scans, previous summaries, videos sometimes too. I go over everything before the consultation because otherwise it wastes time for everyone.
A lot of families prefer starting online before deciding whether traveling to Israel even makes sense in their case.
And honestly, sometimes one conversation already helps organize the situation much more clearly.
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