If your child has asthma, you need to work with their pediatrician to craft an asthma action plan that includes detailed early treatment instructions for his or her symptoms. This action plan shows specific steps to help keep your child’s symptoms from worsening and turning into a full-blown asthma attack.

It should likewise detail guidance on when to use medications, when to go contact your child’s pediatrician at Johnson County Pediatrics in Overland Park, KS, and when to get urgent medical help. Your child’s asthma action plan is an immensely vital tool that you should share with all your child’s caregivers, teachers, and other relevant individuals.

What Should Your Child’s Asthma Action Plan Include

• Asthma factors or triggers that make your child’s symptoms worse.
• Your child’s asthma zones.
• All medicines your child uses to treat their symptoms, including their specific names.
• Peak flow measurements or symptoms that indicate worsening of your child’s symptoms.
• Warning signs or peak flow measurements that suggest your child needs urgent medical treatment.
• All relevant contact numbers, including yours, your child’s pediatrician, and the local emergency room.

Your child’s peak flow rate, measure using a peak flow meter, could indicate if their asthma is worsening, even before the onset of symptoms. This can be used to identify your child’s asthma zones, which are specific states that tell how your child’s currently feeling. In general, green means that your child is symptom-free, yellow means that he’s experiencing some symptoms and need to slow down and use a rescue inhaler, while red means that he needs medical help right away.

Your child’s pediatrician in Overland Park, KS, will likewise ask you to monitor your child’s asthma symptoms to help control their condition. Symptoms that typically spell problems include the following:

• Daytime symptoms include chest tightness, wheezing, and coughing
• Issues with activity levels such as when playing or exercising
• Nighttime symptoms

What You Should Know About Asthma Medications

Asthma medications include quick-relief medications and long-term control medications. Rescue or quick-relief medications help stop or alleviate asthma symptoms once they’ve appeared. These come in inhalers and work very fast to relax tight airway muscles that are making it difficult for your child to breathe. Your child can also use their quick-relief medication before any physical activity to avoid symptoms.

On the other hand, long-term control medications, also known as anti-inflammatory, maintenance, or controller medicines are used for preventing symptoms by reducing mucus production and lung inflammation. They function slowly but can help control symptoms for hours. It’s vital to note though that in order for controller medications to work, they should be taken regularly, even if your child isn’t experiencing any symptoms.

For More Information on Managing Your Child’s Asthma, We Can Help

Dial (913) 384-5500 to set your appointment with one of our pediatricians here at Johnson County Pediatrics in Overland Park, KS.

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism, is a developmental disability that can cause significant communication, communication, and behavioral challenges. The thinking, learning, and problem-solving abilities of individuals with autism can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some individuals with autism need only a bit of help in their daily lives; others need more. While there's no cure for autism, early treatment can make a big difference in the lives of many children.

Overview

ASD is the fastest growing serious, developmental disability, affecting an estimated one out of 59 kids in America. Autism begins in early childhood and eventually causes problems functioning in society — at work, in school, and socially, for example. Often kids show symptoms of autism within the first year. Autism impacts how people perceive and socialize with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication.

Symptoms

Autism can look different in different people. Kids with autism have a hard time interacting with others. Social skills difficulties are some of the most common signs. A child with ASD might want to have close relationships but not know how. Most have some problems with communication. Kids with ASD also act in ways that seem unusual. Examples of this can include repetitive behaviors like jumping, hand-flapping, constant moving, fixations on certain objects, fussy eating habits, impulsiveness, and aggressive behavior.

Causes

The exact cause of ASD is not known, but it's believed that genetic and environmental factors are involved. Research shows that ASD tends to run in families. Changes in certain genes increase the risk that a child with develop autism. Research also shows that certain environmental influences may increase autism risk in people who are genetically predisposed to the disorder. Researchers are exploring whether certain factors such as medications, viral infections, or complications during pregnancy play a role in triggering ASD.

Treatment

Treatment options may include nutritional therapy, physical therapy, behavior and communication therapies, educational therapies, family therapies, and medications. No medication can improve the core signs of ASD, but specific medications can help control symptoms. For example, antipsychotic drugs are sometimes used to treat severe behavioral problems; certain medications may be prescribed if your child is hyperactive; and antidepressants may be prescribed for anxiety.

Autism can impact your child's quality of life. If you think your child may have autism, find a pediatrician near you and schedule a consultation. Proper diagnosis and treatment of autism can help your child live a happier, more successful life. The earlier children with autism get help, the greater their chance of treatment success.

Your child just woke up with a runny nose, an elevated temperature and body aches. Could this just be a passing cold or could it be the flu? It’s important to be able to tell the difference between the two. A common cold is usually mild and will go away on its own without treatment but the flu often requires medical attention to prevent serious complications. While an annual flu shot can protect your child from developing the flu it’s also important to know what to look for and when to visit their pediatrician for care.

Warning Signs of the Flu

Unfortunately the common cold and the influenza viruses have a lot of the same symptoms, which can make it difficult to determine what your child might have. We know that you don’t want to worry unnecessarily and rush them into the office if you don’t need to but it’s also good to know when their condition warrants medical attention.

One difference is that a cold will come on gradually over the course of a couple of days while the flu will often attack suddenly, with symptoms showing up practically overnight. While a fever isn’t a common symptom of a cold a fever is almost always present with the flu, as well as full body achiness or weakness.

Children are also more likely to deal with diarrhea or vomiting with the flu. While symptoms of a cold are usually localized to the head, flu symptoms are more widespread.

You Suspect Your Child has the Flu. Now What?

The first step is to call your pediatrician. While it can take up to a week for your child to feel better after the flu sometimes medical attention is required. It’s especially important that you talk to your doctor if your child has flu-like symptoms and they are under the age of 5, as young children are more likely to deal with health-related complications from the flu.

You’ve talked to your doctor and you now know whether you are supposed to bring them in right away for care or whether you should continue to monitor their condition before bringing them in. At this point the most important thing you can do is help reduce their discomfort and control their symptoms. Make sure they are staying hydrated and getting as much rest as possible.

Avoid giving your child over-the-counter medications, as many of these medications aren’t safe for young children and won’t be effective for treating flu symptoms. If your child has a mild fever ask your pediatrician what over-the-counter medications could help alleviate their fever. Keep in mind: Children should never take aspirin!

The sooner you seek medical attention for the flu the better, as many antiviral medications can prevent the virus from getting worse if it’s administered within the first 48 hours. This medication is often taken for 5 to 7 days and it can help ease symptoms and speed up recovery.

The key is making sure to get your child proper medical care as soon as flu-like symptoms appear. Call your children’s doctor right away.

Why Proper Nutrition is Important

As a parent, it goes without saying that you want what is best for your child. Making sure that your little ones grow up healthy, happy, and prepared for the future is often one of the most difficult, yet regarding, tasks in all of parenthood. This all-important mission to provide a great life for your child encompasses a number of different factors, including one which is the subject of this article: nutrition.

According to recent reports from the CDC, one in five school children within the United States qualify as obese. This epidemic of unhealthy living inevitably creates a number of ill effects in the children who suffer from the condition. Read on to learn how proper nutrition can keep your child at a healthy weight and avoid the consequences of obesity.

Why Obesity Must Be Avoided

Before we examine the intricacies of proper nutrition, it is important that we look at why being overweight/obese is to be avoided:

• Onset of chronic diseases: Although they are more often diagnosed in adults, conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes have been increasingly seen in younger children, largely because of poor eating habits.
• Childhood habits traverse into adulthood: Humans tend to be creatures of habit, and accordingly, we largely carry childhood tendencies into our adult lives. For this reason, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the National Institute for Health Research has found that “55% of obese children go on to be obese in adolescence, around 80% of obese adolescents will still be obese in adulthood and around 70% will be obese over age 30.”
• Obesity shortens life: The National Institute of Health has found that obesity has the possibility of shortening life spans by up to fourteen years, and with the established link between childhood and adulthood obesity, it’s essential to promote healthy

Other Benefits of Proper Nutrition

The most obvious benefit of providing proper nutrition for your child is that they are then much more likely to maintain a healthy weight, and thus avoid all of the dangers associated with obesity. In addition to escaping the clutches of type 2 diabetes and a shortened life expectancy, your little one will also feel the immediate advantage of higher physical energy levels and increased brain activity. These boosts to your child’s wellbeing can be attributed to an increased bloodflow throughout the body, allowing them to not only stay healthier, but feel happier as well!

Call today!

If you need help with getting your child on the path of proper nutrition, contact your local pediatrician today—we’re here to help!

your pediatrician in shares important information to help you understand if your child has a broken bone. 

• You or your child hears a snap or grinding noise as the injury occurs
• Your child experiences swelling, bruising or tenderness to the injured area
• It is painful for your child to move it, touch it or press on it
• The injured part looks deformed

What Happens Next?

• Call 911 - If your child has an 'open break' where the bone has punctured the skin, if they are unresponsive, if there is bleeding or if there have been any injuries to the spine, neck or head, call 911. Remember, better safe than sorry! If you do call 911, do not let the child eat or drink anything, as surgery may be required.
• Stop the Bleeding - Use a sterile bandage or cloth and compression to stop or slow any bleeding.
• Apply Ice - Particularly if the broken bone has remained under the skin, treat the swelling and pain with ice wrapped in a towel. As usual, remember to never place ice directly on the skin.
• Don't Move the Bone - It may be tempting to try to set the bone yourself to put your child out of pain, particularly if the bone has broken through the skin, do not do this! You risk injuring your child further. Leave the bone in the position it is in.