Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects how a person views and interacts with the world around them, including other people. In most cases, differences become apparent by the time your child reaches 24 months. Mainly, parents notice behavioral differences and language delays. If you suspect that your child has ASD, schedule an appointment with your local pediatric office. We work with you to figure out what to do next.- Your child doesn’t keep or make eye contact
- They don’t respond to your facial expressions or smiles
- Does not reciprocate facial expressions or have the appropriate ones
- Doesn’t respond to parent’s pointing
- Has problems making friends
- Shows a lack of concern for others
- Your child hasn’t spoken by 16 months
- Repeats or parrots what others say
- Doesn’t feel the need or want to communicate
- Starts missing language and social milestones after 15 months
- Doesn’t pretend play but does have a good memory for numbers, songs, and letters
- Has an affinity for routines and schedules and does not like altering them
- Likes to twirl their fingers, sway, rock, or spin
- Has strange activities that they enjoy doing repeatedly
- They are sensitive to sounds, lights, touch, textures, and smells
- They are more interested in the parts of a toy instead of the whole thing
Everyone is born with two tonsils. These are lymph nodes located right in the back of the throat. They help out the immune system by housing important white blood cells. Even so, the tonsils themselves can become infected, which is known as tonsillitis. The tonsils swell up, causing pain and discomfort. Children between the ages of five and eleven experience it the most. You need to bring your child in to see a pediatrician right away. Tonsillitis is commonly caused by streptococcus pyogenes also known as strep throat. - Sore throat
- Noticeably bigger tonsils
- Fever
- Pain or problems with swallowing
- Yellow or white patches coating the throat and tonsils
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Foul breath
- Stiff neck
- Headaches
- A scratchy or rough voice
- Stomach pain
Parents want the best for their child, which is why check-ups and appointments with their pediatricians are so important. Yet your pediatrician isn’t just available for when your child is sick or has physical ailments. They can also help with mental and behavioral conditions, including the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. If your child struggles with focus, impulsivity, attention, or hyperactivity, schedule them for an evaluation. It’s also important to note that children must be at least four years old for a diagnosis.At the appointment with your child’s pediatrician, they’ll want you and others to fill out a questionnaire about your child’s behavior. Symptoms need to be present in multiple settings, like at home and school and cause issues at both.
To keep your child healthy and happy this involves making sure that they eat the right foods, exercise regularly and get quality sleep. Of course, visiting your pediatrician for routine checkups and care is also necessary for maintaining optimal health in your child or teen. Along with making sure that your little one is reaching those developmental milestones, our pediatricians can also protect your child from a variety of serious and potentially life threatening illnesses through regular immunizations.
What do immunizations do?
Immunizations or vaccines are used to boost the body’s natural defenses to help it properly fight infection. In order to do this, a vaccine needs to contain either a dead or weakened form of the infection. This is just enough to trigger the immune system to start producing the necessary antibodies to fight the infection without actually causing an infection. Even once the body fights off these germs it will still maintain these defenses to prevent being infected in the future.
Your child won’t build up an immediate immunity once they’ve been vaccinated. It can take up to three weeks for the body to build a complete immune response to the specific germs. Therefore, during this time it is possible that your child could still become infected with any of the viruses for which they haven’t fully been vaccinated. Each vaccine is different and your pediatrician can discuss with you the expected length of time that a vaccine will take to fully work.
Why are immunizations important?
Immunizations are one of the most effective preventive tools we have for protecting children and teens from potentially dangerous or fatal infections and diseases. Since many of these conditions can also cause serious complications including hospitalizations, getting your child vaccinated can prevent the need for extensive and expensive medical treatments.
Certain people, especially those with weakened immune systems, may not be able to get certain vaccinations. This means that they are particularly susceptible to infection. By getting more and more children vaccinated we can also protect other members of our community who can’t be vaccinated so they don’t deal with life-threatening illnesses, themselves.
We know that parents usually have a lot of questions when it comes to getting their child vaccinated and during your child’s next visit we would be happy to discuss these options with you. The CDC also has a handy immunization schedule that every family should follow to make sure that their child is getting the proper immunizations at the right time so they are always fully protected from certain illnesses and diseases.
If you have questions about the immunizations your child is supposed to be getting or if you need to schedule their next checkup call your pediatrician today.
At Pediatrics of Central Florida in Orlando, St. Cloud, and Kissimmee, FL, our team of eight board-certified pediatricians welcome children annually for a physical examination. Why come in every year if your child isn't sick? Well, this routine exam is a wonderful opportunity to assess your youngster's systemic, emotional, and mental health, as well as to have important milestones assessed.
What's included in an annual physical?
Your pediatrician gathers baseline information on your child. This includes:
- An assessment of vital signs (blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and temperature)
- A review of medical history, injuries, chronic conditions, surgeries, and hospitalizations
- Weight and height (comparing these with national statistics on growth)
- Tracking development (puberty, reflexes, physical strength, and more)
- Vision and hearing screening
- A hands-on physical examination (palpation of lymph nodes and abdomen, assessment of reflexes, and an inspection of the ears, nose, throat, skin, hair, and nails)
Additionally, your doctor will update your child's immunizations (following the schedule published by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics). Together, you will discuss any chronic health conditions such as asthma, allergies, and diabetes, and as the parent, you may raise any new health, learning, or behavioral concerns that you may have.
A time to talk freely
Your child's doctor may raise the topics of nutrition, fitness, sports, bullying and more age-appropriate themes, as well as complete any forms needed for sports, college, or club membership as needed. Both you and your child should feel free to ask questions on any and all health-related topics.
Additionally, if your child needs a referral to a specialist of any kind, your pediatrician will facilitate that as well. Pediatrics of Central Florida is your child's medical home. As such, the doctor will coordinate and document any special care that your child may require outside the scope of this medical practice.
Call us today
If it's time for your child's annual physical, please contact one of our four convenient offices. In Kissimmee, FL, phone (407) 846-3455 for the West Oak office. For Cypress Parkway, call (407) 933-5985. For the Orlando office, call (407) 857-2816. In St. Cloud, FL, reach us at (407) 891-0479.
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