Tag Archives: Wellness

Special Parents Confidential Episode 20 Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness.

Perhaps no other subject is a greater concern to a parent than the health of their children. Parents of special needs children have an even greater concern because our kids often have disabilities or disorders that require specialized health care options. Some disabilities or disorders like Downs Syndrome can be diagnosed immediately at birth, if not sooner. Others like Autism or Dyslexia may take a few years. However, the one thing all health care professionals can agree on is the earlier you get a diagnosis for your child, the sooner you can get the right treatments and therapies, and that’s better for your child.

But where do you find the experts on your child’s disabilities or disorders, especially if you’re a first time parent and don’t yet have a family doctor or pediatrician? Often, a child can have more than one special need challenge, which can make medical decisions even harder. 

One place that offers a wide variety of services from medical checkups and advice to doctor referrals to support groups and beyond is your local county or city Health Department. Most Health Departments have a person or a group of people who support parents of special needs children with counseling, advice, and education. They can help you with ongoing support, including finding early on or early intervention programs with your local school district to get your child into special education programs that are the right fit for their challenges.

In this episode of Special Parents Confidential, John talks to Chris Buczek, RN BSN, who is the Public Health Program supervisor for Children’s Special Health Care Services of the Kent County Health Department in Grand Rapids Michigan. She also supervises the Hearing and Vision Screening Program for the Health Department, and runs a support group for parents of special needs children. And, as you’ll find out, she has a personal reason for her involvement in Special Health Services.

During the interview Chris talks about a number of websites for resources. The following are the links to those sites:

MDCH Children’s Special Health Care Services   

MI Family Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

US DHHS HRSA Maternal and Child Health

CDC Parent Information Infants & Toddlers

CDC Important Milestones For Infants

NCMHI Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Page

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7 Myths About Medication – From The Cleveland Clinic

7 Myths About Medication and The Facts Behind Them. From The Cleveland Clinic

Medications of any kind are always a difficult decision for not only parents of special needs children but all parents. So we are pleased to be able to share an article that has great common sense advice on taking medications from the Cleveland Clinic:

7 Myths About Medication – and The Facts Behind Them

This article is mostly about over-the-counter (OTC) medications and information for adults, but much of the information applies to prescription medications and children taking medications as well.

We would add one more bit of advice that we have been given from our own pediatrician as well as other people we know in the medical profession: When giving any kind of OTC medication to a child, make sure you use your child’s weight for the dosage, rather than their age. Why? Body mass has much more of an effect on how you absorb medication than your age, and to a far greater degree with children. Some kids don’t grow as quickly as others and can weigh much less than the average for kids their age, which means for those kids a dose measured to the amount for their age would actually be too much.

Always get your medical information from reliable sources, like the Cleveland Clinic. Other good sources are The American Academy of Pediatrics, The Mayo Clinic and Web MD. You can also find links to excellent information from reliable sources on our Helpful Links page.

Avoid the myths about medication and always follow your doctor’s advice.