Menu
Virtual Visit Request an Appointment ER Wait Times
Search
Back

Filter By

All Search Results

  • Life without a safety net: what happens when kids age out of foster care?

    Like many parents, I could hardly believe it when my son turned 18. “How could he be this old already?” I thought and then “Why is he so different than I was when I turned 18?” My son Brandon, who is now 20, is still living at home, and we are gently pushing him to learn about living on his own. He is part of the generation of kids who are experiencing an extended adolescence. He’s been a little less mature than his peers and this decision makes sense for us and for him. We have some clear steps outlined and he’s following them.  And I’m sometimes tying myself to a chair so I don’t “help” too much.

  • 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.

  • Do You Know What to do if Your Child is Choking?

    It is the nightmare scenario that can send any parent into a cold sweat: what if my child is choking and I don’t know how to help him?

  • If your child has been diagnosed with cleft lip or palate, here’s what you need to know

    You may be surprised to learn that cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects in children born in the United States, occurring in about one in every 600 to 700 births.  The good news for families who find themselves faced with a diagnosis is this- while a cleft lip or palate requires ongoing medical care throughout childhood and into adulthood, the condition is highly treatable and children go on to lead normal, healthy lives.

  • You can save a life: what you must know as a bystander of a traumatic injury

    For those among us who have dedicated their lives to caring for others within the hospital setting, life and death are regrettably very familiar topics. Our Emergency Department personnel have the responsibility and the privilege of caring for families in their most vulnerable moments, and because we are a Level One Trauma Center our dedicated staff is expertly trained to care for patients who have suffered accidents or injuries of the most critical nature.

  • If you have a child with a congenital heart defect, here’s what you should expect from your pediatrician (Part 2 of 2)

    In Part 1 of this series, we discussed what your pediatrician can offer in the care of your child prenatally through the newborn period. In Part 2, we’ll share what role your pediatrician will play throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence.

  • What it means if your child fails his/her newborn hearing screening part 2

    In our previous post, we discussed the newborn hearing screening. Now let’s discuss what a failed hearing screening means and what will usually follow. In general, there are two types of hearing loss: sensorineural and conductive. Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a break in the conduction of sound between the outside world and the end of the stapes or 3rd hearing bone. The second type of hearing loss is sensorineural, or nerve-related. This can occur within the cochlea or anywhere along the path of the cochlear/auditory nerve and remainder of the pathways from the cochlea to the brain.

    Conductive hearing loss

    Conductive hearing loss is easy to understand: something is blocking the sound from getting into the inner ear. There are several things that can cause conductive hearing loss which results in a failed newborn hearing screening. The most common of these is fluid in the ear canal or middle ear. The middle ear space is filled with fluid in general up until delivery. As the baby is delivered, the movement through the birth canal helps push the fluid out of the middle ear space. When this does not happen effectively, fluid can remain in the middle ear space and cause a conductive hearing loss and a failed newborn screening. This usually goes away after a short time, but it can persist for 4-6 months and may necessitate a procedure to drain the fluid from the ears.

  • When family expectations differ from your doctor’s advice, what’s a new parent to do?

    Written by Lisandra Perez, MD

  • What difference can a social worker make in your child's hospital stay?

    Valerie Dorsainvil, LCSW has been a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Social Worker at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies since 2016. Here, she answers some questions about what that means for the families of patients going through long-term treatments at the hospitals. 

  • When Your Child Hurts: What Is Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome?

    Before you chalk up your teen’s vague complaints of pain to an attempt to stay home from school, consider this: As many as 40 percent of children suffer from chronic pain and 7.5 percent have amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS). Cases of AMPS are on the rise, thanks to the pandemic that has left kids more depressed, isolated and sedentary.