School Aged Visit

The school age visit marks a significant shift in the tenor of the well visit. Kids have a new level of confidence and are active and often willing participants. During these early school years, we focus on the challenges that school can bring and discuss strategies to limit screen time.

Well-child visits aren’t just for infants. Your grade-school children need them as well. Although well-child visits are most frequent during infancy, when development is most rapid, we will continue to see your older child yearly to make sure his or her development is progressing at the proper pace.

At these visits the following will occur:

a discussion about your child’s diet and reinforcement of healthy eating habits
your child’s elimination and sleep patterns
The doctor will ask a series of questions concerning your child’s intellectual and behavioral development.
These questions will vary by your child’s age. This includes how your child is performing in school, how he or she is interacting socially with friends and family members, and how your child is dealing with their feelings.
hearing and vision screening yearly
blood pressure screening yearly
height and weight yearly
a thorough physical exam yearly including a genital exam

How much and what should my child be eating?

It is important that children consume enough calories to ensure proper growth. However, many children tend to consume too many calories. Children aged 2 to 3 years, 4 to 6 years, and 7 to 10 years require approximately 1300, 1800, and 2000 calories, respectively. We do not encourage excessive fat intake. The total fat intake should not exceed 30% of calories and saturated fat should account for no more than 10% of total calories daily.

Some good websites for information on healthy eating include:

www.chopchop.com
http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_children_teens.htm

How much physical activity does my child need?

We recommend that your child engage in age appropriate physical activity a minimum of 3 times a week. The following link connects you to a site with suggestions on how to increase your child’s physical activity.

I’ve heard calcium and vitamin D are important what foods can my child eat to get these vitamins and minerals?

Both calcium and vitamin D are essential to your child’s growth and development. School aged children require 600IU/day of vitamin D. The best source of vitamin D is in fortified foods such as milk (100-120IU/cup), fortified orange juice (140IU/cup), fortified cereals or yogurts (40-60IU/cup). Other sources include fish and eggs. Fish liver oil are very high in vitamin D.

The recommended amount of calcium per day is 1000mg for school aged children. Dairy products are excellent sources of calcium (300-400mg/serving). For children who do not eat dairy, broccoli, spinach, kale, fortified soy milk and fortified orange juice are alternative source of calcium.

What vaccines and/or screening tests should I expect at this visit?

At 5-10 years

There are no regularly scheduled vaccines in this age group. If the season is appropriate, your child may also receive the Influenza vaccine. Your child may be eligible to have the Influenza vaccine as a nasal spray instead of an injection. You can discuss this option with your doctor. At age 6 and 10 years your child will receive a finger prick to screen for anemia (low iron).

11 years

At this visit your child will receive the Tdap and Menactra (meningococcal) vaccines. If the season is appropriate, your child may also receive the Influenza vaccine. Your child may be eligible to have the Influenza vaccine as a nasal spray instead of an injection. You can discuss this option with your doctor.

12 years

At this visit your child will be offered the Gardasil vaccine to protect against HPV. The Gardasil is a 3 part series which begins at this visit with a booster 2 months later and a final booster 4 months after that. If the season is appropriate, your child may also receive the Influenza vaccine. Your child may be eligible to have the Influenza vaccine as a nasal spray instead of an injection. You can discuss this option with your doctor.