All Search Results
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How To Help Kids with Social Anxiety During Pandemic
Many parents, while trying to keep their children safe from COVID-19, worry their kids are missing important social skills. Some of the most common issues include social anxiety, gaps in social skills like sharing and parallel play, and separation anxiety.
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Childhood Ear Infections: When To See a Doctor
Most children will have at least one ear infection by the time they’re 3 years old. The good news is that most will clear up on their own without any lasting effects.
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Empowering Teens with Chronic Illnesses to Live Independent Adult Lives
Teens are learning important skills in all areas of their lives as they get older – everything from driving to managing their own finances. Learning to stay healthy, especially for a teen with a chronic medical condition, should be a priority.
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Bullying: teaching your kids not to be a bystander
Many of us who were bullied in childhood look back on those days with anger, sadness, and pain. We know how horrible it can be. For many that were bullied, it was truly a traumatic experience. Now, that we are adults, those days are long gone. However, now, we are the parents, and unfortunately, even though we may not have to worry about bullying for ourselves, we must now think about it in regards for our kids.
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What happens when we compare our child’s illness to another?
Recently, a friend shared with me a book whose title and premise really upset her. She is the mother of a cancer survivor and friend to many cancer patients, and the title of the book offended her to the core. It’s called, “I wish my kids had cancer: a family surviving the autism epidemic.” I hesitated even to share the title of the book because it elicits such strong emotions, even to those of us who’ve never read the book. And, I’m not sure that this book deserves the attention we’ve given it, good or bad.
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What about me? Providing support to siblings during a hospitalization
March is National Child Life Month. As a Certified Child Life Specialist in the NICU, I find this month quite exciting. It is a time for Specialists to continue to spread awareness of the need for patient education and support during trying times in the hospital, and most importantly, we celebrate the importance of play! But, patients are not the only family members that Child Life Specialists serve. We also provide education and support to siblings. Regardless of age, siblings can struggle throughout a child’s hospitalization for various reasons, and it is important to recognize ways that they can feel supported and have an understanding of what is going on with their brother or sister in a way that makes sense to them.
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3 steps to change your kids’ picky eating habits
When it comes to getting picky eaters to expand their horizons, parents’ opinions are as varied as the vegetables their kids won’t eat. Every parent seems to have a philosophy on the “picky eater problem” but let’s be honest, we have no idea if the principles we adhere to really work. Well, here’s some good news for every parent struggling with the age-old problem of how to handle finicky eaters.
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How to prevent your little one from choking
You can tell I’m the mother of a toddler. I walk into a room and I may not make eye contact with you because I am too busy scanning every nook and cranny for things that my kid is likely to put in his mouth. It’s the time in my son’s life where what looks to you like a penny or a button looks to me like a death trap.
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How the ketogenic diet can help patients with Epilepsy
In honor of Epilepsy Awareness Month, please welcome our guest contributor, Kelly Urbanik. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian at Arnold Palmer Hospital. She has been working with the Ketogenic Diet Therapy Program for the past 6 years and has worked with over 125 patients for this specialized therapy.
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The benefits of finding a good support group
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at The Hewell Kids’ Kidney Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital, I have many teenage patients express to me that they feel lonely, isolated, and different. They feel that that no one understands what they are going through, and sometimes, they don’t even know what they are going through, or what to expect in the future. They express feelings of grief from losing some of the freedom they once enjoyed and the carefree attitude they once had. Many of these young patients show symptoms of depression and anxiety, too.
