When your child is sick, you need the expertise and compassion of a pediatrician. Your pediatrician knows how to treat childhood illnesses and injuries and can help your child feel better.

When a child becomes ill, the signs and symptoms can often become more severe than those of an adult. Children’s nasal passages and sinuses are much smaller. That means when your child acquires a virus like a cold or the flu, congestion and breathing difficulties can be severe. Your child may experience:

• Coughing and wheezing
• Sneezing and nasal congestion
• Fever and fatigue

Your pediatrician knows how to help your child recover from an illness and feel better.

Bacterial infections are another common medical condition in children. Eye, ear, tonsil, and throat infections are a frequent occurrence and can cause your child to develop signs and symptoms including:

• A sore throat
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Painful, draining ears
• Swollen lymph nodes

Your pediatrician can diagnose the infection and prescribe an antibiotic regimen to eliminate the infection and help your child heal.

If your child has allergies, it can cause a wide range of signs and symptoms, and make your child feel very uncomfortable. When your child has allergies, you may notice that your child is:

• Sneezing and coughing
• Having difficulty breathing
• Having itchy watery eyes
• Having a scratchy throat

Your pediatrician can perform allergy testing to determine what your child is allergic to, and prescribe medication including allergy shots and sublingual immunotherapy to help your child get relief from allergies.

Pediatric asthma can be scary. When your child can’t breathe, it’s difficult not to panic. Your pediatrician can prescribe short term rescue inhalers and long-term asthma medications to prevent an asthma attack.

You can help prevent childhood illnesses and diseases by scheduling a regular examination appointment with the pediatrician. Your pediatrician can also provide immunizations to help ensure your child is protected against dangerous diseases.

To find out more about sick child diagnosis and treatment and how your pediatrician can help your child feel better, call your pediatrician today.

Adults aren’t the only people that need mental health services. Children can suffer mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and other conditions, just like adults. If your child suffers from mental health issues, a pediatrician is an important member of your child’s healthcare team.

Children often deal with life’s stressful events. Adults have coping skills and experience that makes dealing with these events easier. Children don’t have the same resources to draw from. Life’s stressful events can have a huge impact on a child’s mental health.

Children often suffer from depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions because of:

• Moving
• Changing schools
• Losing friends
• Death of a close family member

Your child can benefit from children’s mental health services if your child is having:

• Difficulty in school
• Anxiety about going to school
• Anxiety about participating in social activities
• Frequent aches and pains
• Fits of temper or rage
• Frequent nightmares
• Thoughts about self-harm or suicide

If you notice any of the signs or symptoms listed above, your pediatrician can perform a mental health screening for your child, to help identify potential mental health issues.

These are some of the mental health issues your pediatrician can identify and help treat:

• Fear and anxiety disorders
• Sleeping and eating disorders
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Manic depression and clinical depression

Your pediatrician can counsel your child on healthy ways to cope with stress and stressful events. There are also several effective ways your pediatrician can treat mental health issues, including:

• Medications to manage anxiety, depression, and other conditions
• Counseling about coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations
• Relaxation techniques to help manage stress

Children’s mental health issues can be managed effectively, with a little help from your pediatrician. Your pediatrician may also provide counseling on diet and exercise, so your child has the best chance for a healthy, happy life. To find out more about the importance of children’s mental health and how your pediatrician can help, call your pediatrician today.

It’s normal for children to act out. You want your child to test boundaries and show independence, which are both normal milestones in a child’s development. If your child is demonstrating inattentiveness, fidgeting, not listening, and other behaviors on a regular basis, your child could have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD.

The Child Development Institute lists the characteristics of ADHD as:

• Inattention
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsivity

These characteristics can contribute to some noticeable signs and symptoms, including:

• Repetitive motions, like clapping hands
• Continuous fidgeting and squirming
• Inability to remain seated for an extended period of time
• Running or climbing at inappropriate times
• Excessive talking and blurting out comments
• Inability to focus on details
• Problems listening and following directions
• Difficulty getting and staying organized
• Frequently losing or forgetting things

ADHD can be difficult to recognize and can easily go untreated, which is why an ADHD screening from your pediatrician is so important. Your pediatrician has effective screening tools to help identify ADHD. If your child has ADHD, there are several therapies your pediatrician may recommend, including:

Behavioral Therapy, which involves both child and parents; this type of therapy can help establish techniques to limit destructive, aggressive, and inappropriate behaviors.

Lifestyle Modification, which involves dietary and exercise alterations; sugar intake is reduced, and vitamin and nutrient intake is increased. Exercise is increased, to help focus on healthy behaviors.

Medication Therapy, which involves using medications to increase focus, improve brain function, and increase self-control. Medications may include Adderall and Ritalin, among others.

If ADHD goes untreated, it can lead to problems when your child becomes an adult. Some of the ways ADHD can affect an adult include:

• Destructive and harmful behaviors
• Poor grades in school
• Poor performance at work
• Inability to form friendships
• Aggressive, belligerent behaviors
• Moodiness, depression, and frustration
• Physical growth issues
• Difficulty sleeping

If you are worried about your child having ADHD, you need to consult with your pediatrician. An ADHD screening is easy, and can help identify ADHD, so it can be treated. To find out more about the signs, symptoms, and treatment of ADHD, call your pediatrician today.

Children can definitely be easily distracted or have issues focusing, but when is that a sign of something more serious that your child might be struggling with? Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, also known as ADHD, affects many children all over the country and can affect their ability to function successfully in school or later in life. If you feel your child might be dealing with ADHD, you probably have a lot of questions about what it is and how it can be dealt with. Your pediatricians at Downers Grove Pediatrics in Downers Grove and Bolingbrook, IL, can answer some questions about ADHD so that you can understand what your child might be dealing with.

Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD

Q. What is ADHD?

A. ADHD is a developmental disorder that can cause a child to be impulsive, hyperactive, and distracted. Children with ADHD often lack focus, and this can strain relationships in their lives. It can also be dangerous if a child doesn’t pay attention in public and gets lost or chases a ball into the street without looking at their surroundings.

Q. What are the common ADHD symptoms?

A. Most commonly, a child with ADHD will have a difficult time concentrating and performing normal tasks. They may struggle to pay attention in class or when talking to parents, are disorganized, often procrastinate, are forgetful, or constantly fidgeting.

Q. How can ADHD be treated?

A. Your child’s pediatrician in Downers Grove and Bolingbrook, IL, can sit down with your child to examine them and find the best methods to treat their ADHD. This could be through medication, changing their diet and sticking to a routine, or through behavioral therapy.

Contact Your Pediatrician Today

Don’t hesitate to learn more about ADHD. Contact your pediatricians at Downers Grove Pediatrics in Downers Grove and Bolingbrook, IL, to ask further questions about ADHD. Call to schedule an appointment at (630) 852-4551 for the office in Downers Grove, IL, and (630) 759-9230 for the office in Bolingbrook, IL.

When your child is sick, it’s comforting to know that help and advice from your pediatrician are just a phone call away. So, what happens when your child is very ill and is getting worse? Your pediatrician has a special option for you. It’s called a sick child visit.

A sick child visit can help your child feel better and recover more quickly. You need to schedule a sick child visit with the pediatrician if your child has a fever which:

• Has lasted longer than 2 days
• Is higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit for children under 2 months
• Is at least 104 degrees Fahrenheit in older children

You also need to schedule a sick child visit if your child has:

• An ear infection
• A bacterial or viral infection
• Difficulty swallowing
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea and constipation
• Headaches and sinus problems
• Allergies or asthma
• Abdominal pain
• Rashes and other skin irritations
• Fractured or broken bones
• Injuries from an accident or sport

When you bring your child in for a sick child visit, your pediatrician will:

• Record your child’s symptoms and health history
• Perform a complete physical examination
• Measure and record your child’s vital signs

Your pediatrician may also order laboratory testing and x-rays to help determine the cause or extent of an injury or illness.

Your pediatrician will also prescribe any necessary medications to make your child more comfortable and eliminate the illness. Medications may include:

• Antibiotics, to eliminate bacteria causing the infection
• Antivirals, to kill the virus causing illness
• Anti-inflammatory medication, to reduce swelling
• Pain medication, to make your child more comfortable
• Specialized medications to treat asthma, allergies, and other conditions

When you bring your child in for a sick child visit with the pediatrician, you can be assured of excellent, compassionate care. A sick child visit can help your child heal and recover more quickly, and be more comfortable.