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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Augusta, Ga. – There’s more to preparing your child for another school year than just outfitting them with backpacks and school supplies. As you begin making your back-to-school to-do list this summer, consider your child’s health needs, too.
No matter what grade your child is entering, routine physical
examinations, including hearing and vision tests, help ensure that your
children are truly ready for school. To make sure your child is prepared
from head to toe, here is a handy back-to-school health checklist:
1. Have your child’s hearing checked. Most states mandate hearing
tests for babies and toddlers, but many school-age children have not
been tested. If your child is listening to the television or music at a
very high volume or tends to favor one ear over the other when listening
to you, it may be a sign of hearing loss. Your pediatrician can
recommend an audiologist for an in-depth evaluation if needed.
2. Have your child’s vision screened. It is important to have an
annual screening because young children often don’t know that they
can’t see well enough for schoolwork. If your child has a vision
problem, it can likely be corrected and prevent them from falling behind
in school. If your child wears glasses or contact lenses, be sure these
items are in good working condition and that your child’s prescription
is current.
3. Be sure immunizations are up to date. Immunizations are necessary to
prevent infectious diseases. (I’ll address this issue in my August
column on immunizations.) Your child will not be allowed to attend
school if he/she has not had all the required immunizations. Parents are
sometimes surprised to find that their older children now need vaccines
that were not required when these children were younger. To be sure, ask
your pediatrician. You can also ask for a copy of your child’s
immunization record during the back-to-school checkup.
4. Investigate possible learning disabilities. If you suspect that your
child is not processing information correctly, or as other children the
same age do, speak to a teacher or contact a learning center for advice.
Some children have problems with reading – dyslexia – and others
experience trouble with numbers – dyscalculia. A professional diagnosis
usually requires one to two days of professional testing. The sooner you
discover a disability, the sooner your child can be taught how to
compensate.
5. Inventory your child’s mental health. What’s your child’s
behavior like? Are his reactions appropriate in most situations? Is she
anxious or apprehensive about school? It normally takes children about a
month to adjust to change. A new school, fear of a class bully or taking
a school bus for the first time may cause anxiety. If your child seems
anxious or unsteady, talk to your pediatrician or a counselor who can
help you identify the source of the behavior and work out a solution.
6. Plan ahead on prescriptions. If your child takes medication on a
regular basis for asthma, diabetes or any other chronic problem, make
sure that you have plenty on hand for home and school. In addition, make
school nurses and teachers aware of your child’s needs, especially if
a school employee will need to administer the medicine. The school will
require that your pediatrician fill out forms allowing medicine to be
given at school, and written plans for special health problems such as
asthma. If you can fill these out before the school year starts and have
your child’s school medications labeled and ready to go, you will save
some time and trouble. Also, make sure to alert teachers about any
allergy issues. Be sure to speak with staff members before school begins
and work out a course of action for emergencies.
7. Scan the scalp. If your child has been scratching his or her scalp
since camp ended, it could be a sign that lice are present. Check your
child’s scalp yourself, or if you are unsure, contact a nurse or your
child’s pediatrician. Head lice don’t just go away; they must be
treated. There are several over-the-counter and home remedies to
alleviate head lice before it spreads to your family or other children.
8. Equip the athlete. If your child will participate in sports, be sure
that he or she has all the protective equipment needed for the sport.
Also, if your child has braces or wears glasses, you should take extra
measures to protect them, even for gym class. Invest in sports frames
for the eyes and a mouthpiece to protect the dental work. Again, if
pre-participation sports physicals can be performed in the summer and
the proper forms are completed before school starts, you will save
time.
9. Schedule a trip to the dentist. A dental examination should also be
a part of the back-to-school preparations for children. A painful tooth
or chronic dental problem can lead to difficulty in eating, speaking and
concentrating, which will negatively affect schoolwork and could lead to
missed days. Regular dental checkups and preventive dental care will
uncover problems, which can be treated in the early stages, when damage
is minimal.
10. Address sleep issues. Is your child having trouble sleeping? Does
he sleep walk? Does she have trouble falling asleep or have frequent
nightmares? It’s good to begin a routine sleep schedule about a month
before school begins, since most children’s sleep schedules are
inconsistent during the long days of summer and extended daylight hours,
and the body needs more than just a couple of days to adjust to a new
sleep schedule. If problems are severe, a visit with a sleep specialist
may be in order.
So go ahead. Make plans to purchase new clothes, notebooks, pencils and
other essential school supplies. But if you really want to give your
kids a smart start for the academic year, don’t forget to complete the
back-to-school health checklist as well.
MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation
operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical
Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient
facilities and services throughout the state. For more information,
please visit mcghealth.org.
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