Last updated : Thursday, September 3, 2009

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The Back to School Health Checklist

The key to a happy school year is a healthy child. So it's extremely important to make sure that your little one has an annual physical and the correct immunizations before heading back to school. iMag went to Dr. Peter Inguagiato of Md4kids.com, for the basics you need to know for your child's checkup. Take a look below!

The Doctor's Back to School Checklist:

- Have Your Child Receive an Annual Physical: All children should get a regular physical examination once a year before school starts. Parents and children should expect certain things including but not limited to: a blood pressure test, vision test, hearing test, complete blood count, and urine analysis. And of course depending on age a child could require further testing. For example, as a child gets older a lead test may be required.

- Get the Proper Immunizations: This depends on the child's age and is determined by your state and medical community. Your pediatrician should have a list of required vaccines but you should also discuss other recommended vaccines with your child's doctor. These include the HPV vaccination for girls over 11-years-old and a meningitis vaccine.

- Fill Your Doctor in on Your Family's Medical History: It's also very important to let your pediatrician know about family history. For example, heart disease and cholesterol problems in parents and grandparents could lead a pediatrician to request a lipid profile for your child.

- Have Your Child's Mental Health Checked: Pediatricians are now requesting that patients and their parents fill out questioners to monitor behavior and psychological healthiness. Parents of children ages 18 months to two years can expect to be asked to fill out a questionnaire about their child's language skills, eye contact, pointing etc. This can help doctors rule out pervasive developmental disorders such as autism. Teens and pre-teens can expect to have to fill out a psychological profile questionnaire. The test asks the child if they have ever considered suicide, attempted suicide, abused their body etc. This helps doctors determine whether the child should be treated for depression.

- Alert Your Child's School of any Medical Issues or Medications: Schools should always be alerted if there are any medical issues that your that your child has including but not limited to all allergies, medications (i.e. an EPI pen), asthma, diabetes, seizures, convulsions etc.

In addition to the health checklist you will want your child to follow these healthy habits to prevent them from getting sick and a nutritious diet for the upcoming school year. For more great health advice click onto iMag's Wellness Section.

Information Provided By: Dr. Peter Inguagiato, MD of www.Md4kids.com.

 

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