Let’s Talk Kids’ Health is a blog started in January 2016 by a behavioral pediatrician and health services researcher in Indianapolis. My impetus for launching this blog was to reach out to other pediatric providers, early childhood experts, schools and families with the intent to share ideas and tools and start dialogues around kids’ health. …
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Sunday Spotlight on Children’s Books: The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Ever had a child who had separation anxiety? I love to share the story of “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn. Story summary: It’s hard to say goodbye to your mom or dad. Little ones who have a hard time separating may enjoy this short tale about Chester Raccoon who doesn’t want to go to …
Using children’s books for easier (and fun!) information sharing
Going to the doctor’s office you are likely to get handouts on important health topics. You might have noticed that these handouts are always full of information but is usually in very small font, with A LOT of words that sometime are hard to pronounce and challenging to read. This can be a problem for families who have …
Waging war on poverty: pediatricians are going to bat
Almost half of US households with children live at or below the federal poverty level–incomes below the $23,500 for a family of 4. This means that a large proportion of our children are growing up in homes that are struggling to provide basic necessities. Poverty has many negative effects on children, including an increased risk of chronic diseases like …
Battling the myths of ADHD & Taking One Day At a Time
Today’s column by Valerie Strauss “If you can pay attention, you do not have ADHD”–and 9 other misconceptions about the disorder” was a great read. Ms. Strauss highlights the Top 10 Myths of ADHD by Dr. Ned Hallowell, a child and adult psychiatrist. This list is a good for families of newly diagnosed children or in situations where …
Tips on How to Talk with Kids about Guns
After talking with a few parents & colleagues about my last post: “Kids and Guns: It’s about Child Safety” it became clear that a follow up post was needed. While playdate cards help parents talk to other parents, what resources are there to help non-gun owning families talk to children about guns? S0, how do you start the conversation …
Guns & Kids: It’s about Child Safety
One of the first issues I became passionate about was keeping kids safe from guns. Why? While I was a pediatric resident in San Diego, the school shootings at Santee, California occurred. This was just two years after the horrific events at Columbine. I saw kids coming to clinic, with non-specific complaints and in the end, not …
Helping kids with ADHD talk about “My Today”
When families face chronic diseases, it is especially important to encourage their active participation with the medical team. This is the hallmark of the “chronic care model,” which encourages medical providers and the patient/family to work together. Chronic diseases often require lifestyle and behavior change to maximize outcomes. This is especially true in pediatrics and behavioral conditions. Published clinical …
Why engaging families in research is important…
[wpvideo PpiAAyNn] Watch this video clip to hear my story about working with families in research. It is important to collaborate with families to understand their perspectives and to be able to design solutions to meet their needs. Source: Why engaging families in research is important…
Helping families understand the educational system alphabet soup
It is important to help families become advocates for their children. For children with behavioral conditions, this is even more important because children’s behaviors often can lead to stress and strain on peer relationships and functioning in school. However, there are terms or abbreviations that need to be explained in clear language so families can …