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  • How To Help Your Sensitive Child Thrive

    If your child seems to cry more than usual, even over seemingly minor issues, they may be wired genetically to be extra sensitive. Highly sensitive children are more responsive to their environment, intensely perceptive and can get overwhelmed easily. Parenting your highly sensitive child is different than parenting other children, and it begins with seeing this sensitivity as a gift.

  • Should you be thinking about contraception for your teen?

    Why is contraception important?

    The simple answer- to prevent pregnancy. That is exactly why we need to have this discussion with teenagers. The statistics are astonishing about how many teens have been sexually active before they finish high school. Half of high school students report ever having had sexual intercourse and every year about 750,000 adolescents become pregnant. The majority of these pregnancies, a whopping 80%, are unplanned, which tells me that we need to do a better job giving our teenage population contraception.

    What are the recommended contraception options?

    The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) both recommend Long-Acting Reversible Contraception "LARCs" for adolescents. The LARC options include the implant and intrauterine devices (IUD).  Both of these options are safe and superior to the old-school daily pill. With either the implant or the IUD, our teens don't have to remember to take it every day, making it nearly foolproof. The implant is placed in the upper arm and feels like a two-inch long piece of spaghetti under the skin. The IUDs are inserted into the cervix and can be checked by feeling for the string inside the vagina. Both options last for years without needing to be replaced, which is another reason it is perfect for teens.

    What about "the pill”?

    There are other options, including the pill and the shot. The pill must be taken every day so when thinking of our teenage population and how hard it is for them to remember even to brush their teeth on a daily basis, this option is clearly not the best choice. The shot, Depo-Provera, is a good alternative but not many people are keen on getting a shot every three months.

  • 5 Heart-Healthy Habits to Teach Your Children

    Learning heart-healthy habits is crucial. 

  • The struggle to keep your cool as a parent.

    Have you ever watched those nature shows on television about animals in the wild? I love the ones with the mamas and their babies. Not too long ago, I saw one about a mama bear and her little cubs. They all (including mom) looked so cute and cuddly, until some other animal messed with them. My, how quickly things changed! Mom was immediately on her two back legs, lunging, clawing, and snarling, looking terrifyingly angry. She effectively sent the message that she is not to be messed with, especially when it came to her cubs.

    Sometimes, I feel like that mama bear, too.

    A few years ago, my son was attending a day camp. The camp went on a field trip, and there was a “miscommunication of sorts” between my son and the camp counselors regarding eating lunch. Long story short, he had his lunch with him but didn’t eat it when he was supposed to (he said he never heard them give instructions to eat), and when he asked to eat later, he was told that he couldn’t, and that he had missed lunch and lunchtime was over.

  • Why Am I Coughing? It Could Be the Flu — or Vaping

    The outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries shows no sign of decreasing across the United States and, with the onset of flu season, it would be very easy to confuse the two. The symptoms are very much the same.

  • Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan disproves common myths about the use of birth control pills

    As an adolescent gynecologist, I prescribe birth control pills (BCPs) for a variety of reasons often unrelated to sexual activity, such as treatment of irregular, heavy or painful menses. I try to be very diligent about counseling about possible side effects such as headaches and nausea, or breakthrough bleeding, especially if they are not taken correctly. Also, some patients have real medical reasons why they should not take BCPs, usually because they have a reason why they cannot take estrogen. I routinely discuss the risks and benefits of taking any medication with my patients, but there is probably no medication that is surrounded by as many pre-conceived ideas as the birth control pill. In this blog, I’m going to address two of the most common fears of taking BCPs, and the good evidence that we have after 50 years of their use. Right up front, you should know that I receive no money, lunches, pens or any other form of incentive from any pharmaceutical company, and I am not invested in any pharmaceutical company, so there is no conflict of interest here.

    Myth 1: I have a high risk of a blood clot if I take birth control pills.

    For years we have known that taking BCPs increases the risk of blood clots, but that increase is relatively very small. To have a better understanding, it is important to understand our risks from other activities; for example 1 in 5,000 of us will die from a car accident each year. In the United States the risk of dying in pregnancy is 1 in 8,700 pregnant women each year. Meanwhile the risk of death from BCPs in a non-smoker under the age of 35 is 1 in 1,667,000 (ibuprofen, acetaminophen are much riskier).

  • When Your Baby Just Won’t Stop Crying: Could It Be Colic?

    No matter what you do, your baby just keeps crying and crying, and you don’t know what to do. As a pediatrician at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and a mother with my own personal experience, I can relate to this stressful and overwhelming situation. We expect babies to cry and show some fussiness, but around 5 percent to 25 percent of newborns cry a whole lot more than others, which can be very challenging for us parents to handle.

  • Early Intervention: a window of opportunity to help your child thrive

    What is Early Intervention?

    Early Intervention is a federal program that originated in the 1975 Education of All Handicapped Children Act. It is currently Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law that helps states provide services to babies and toddlers under the age of 36 months who have been diagnosed with a disability, who are not learning and growing at the same rate as other children their age, or who are at risk of having developmental delays in their learning and growing.

    What is the goal of Early Intervention?

    All infants and toddlers grow and develop uniquely. However, some children may show significant delays in attaining their developmental milestones at a young age. The goal of early intervention is to prevent future difficulties and promote the necessary conditions for healthy development.  Early Intervention programs minimize and in some cases prevent delays in development of infants and toddlers with disabilities. They can decrease the need for special education and related services when a child enters school, and increase the child’s independence.

    Why is it important to “Intervene Early?”

    Research has shown that the time between birth and 36 months of age is a critical developmental period in a child’s life. These months offer a window of opportunity for learning that will not be available later. Children whose special needs are identified and addressed during these crucial early years have a better chance of reaching their full potential.

    How do I know if my child will benefit from Early Intervention?

    Does your child have special health or learning needs? Was your child born with a very low birth weight? Do you think your child is slow to begin sitting up, crawling, walking or talking? Does your child have vision, hearing or feeding problems? Does your child have trouble relating to other people? Does your child have a condition that may cause him/her to have a future delay in development?

    What services are included in Early Intervention?

    Early Intervention Service programs and funding are different in each state. Typically, Early Intervention programs are designed to address five areas of development with specific services customized to meet each child’s particular needs. These programs take a family-centered approach, and are usually provided in the child’s “natural environment” (home or child care center). Cognitive development: how a child thinks/learns. An Early Intervention specialist/teacher may provide home-based learning enrichment or preschool classroom services may be recommended to address these needs. Physical development: includes fine and gross motor developmental milestones, vision and hearing. Occupational and/or physical therapy may be warranted to address these needs. Children may also be followed by services for children with low vision, or for the deaf/hard-of-hearing. Language, speech and communication: these skills may be further evaluated and treated by a speech-language pathologist Social-emotional development: these skills may warrant the need for evaluation and treatment by a behavioral therapist, counselor or developmental psychologist Adaptive/self-help skills and development: these skills may be further evaluated and treated by an occupational therapist.

    How can I learn more about Early Intervention in my area?

    Families and Advocates Partnership for Education web site: www.fape.org The Developmental Center for Infants and Children at the Howard Philips Center (Early Steps) 407.317.7430 ext. 2121 Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services: 1.800.654.4440  www.centraldirectory.org www.zerotothree.org

  • Why the outbreak of measles at Disneyland is important to your family

    Over the Christmas holiday, a person who was carrying the measles virus visited Disneyland. Five park employees and dozens of visitors then became ill. The outbreak has ballooned to include not only people who visited Disneyland but also people who came into contact with those individuals. So far this year, 84 people in 14 states have been infected with measles, and this number continues to rise.

  • The difference between a children’s emergency room and an adult emergency room that every parent should know

    No one plans to end up in the emergency room. It just happens, usually when we least expect it. When our children become sick or injured, we are faced with difficult choices. Where is the best place to get care for my child? How do I know there isn’t something seriously wrong? Can I trust these caregivers to do the right thing for my kid?