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Holiday Season is Upon Us!
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With Thanksgiving only days away, we are entering our busiest time of the year. We are in the process of upgrading our phone system (to eliminate busy signals and better triage the calls). This new system should be in place by mid-December. Until then, we will have more personnel answering calls in an attempt to serve you better. We apologize for any inconvenience.
As a reminder, our Thanksgiving week hours are as follows:
November 19th (Monday): 9:00-12:00; 1:30-5:00; 6:00-8:00
November 20th (Tuesday): 9:00-12:00; 1:30-5:00; 6:00-8:00
November 21st (Wednesday): 9:00-12:00
November 22nd THANKSGIVING (Thursday): OFFICE CLOSED
November 23rd (Friday):9:00-12:00 (patients seen in WESTWOOD OFFICE ONLY)
November 24th (Saturday): 9:00-12:00 (patients seen in WESTWOOD OFFICE ONLY)
November 25th (Sunday): 9:00-12:00 (patients seen in WESTWOOD OFFICE ONLY)
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| Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics Celebrates 50th Anniversary!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  In 1957, Dr. Bob Franklin started seeing patients in his house in Westwood. Recently, Dr. Franklin joined us as we had the good fortune to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics.
Also celebrated were the retirements of Anne Christian (our previous nurse manager), and Anna Brouwer (our billing manager).
We consider ourselves fortunate to have so many wonderful patients and families who have been with us over the years. Thank you for helping to make our practice so enjoyable and rewarding! We love our jobs, and look forward to continuing to be a part of your lives.
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| Don't Forget Your Flu Shot!
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We have recently had our first patient test positive for Influenza (the "flu") of the season. While the Department of Public Health states that, so far Massachusetts only has "sporadic" flu activity, it is just a matter of time before it arrives in full force. If your child has asthma and has not received a flu shot, please call us as soon as possible!
We are fortunate to have adequate supply of flu shots this year. Flu shots are recommended for all children in the following groups:
All children 6 months - 5 years of age
All children with asthma (including those with "mild" asthma)
All children with chronic disease, immune deficiency, or metabolic/genetic disorders
All siblings of children under 6 months of age, or otherwise at increased risk from flu
In addition to the above recommended groups, there will be sufficient supply to provide flu shots for all healthy children who want them.
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| The Importance of Developmental Screening
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As the role of the pediatrician continues to evolve, in order to meet the changing needs of both families and society, we are increasingly becoming involved in the diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends developmental surveillance at every well-child visit. Recently, the State of Massachusetts has gone one step further, mandating developmental screening at every well-child visit from birth to 21 years of age. This follows legislation from developmental pediatricians around the state (including those at Children's Hospital).
Developmental screens are generally short surveys that are filled out by the parents (or teens) and are designed to detect issues relating to physical, cognitive, emotional, or social development. By recognizing areas of concern early on, appropriate assessment and treatment can be obtained (with, hopefully, improved outcomes).
While we at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics have already been doing this to some extent, the recent mandate has encouraged us to expand our screening efforts. There may occasionally be more than one screening test at certain visits (especially during the toddler age), as autism-specific screens are strongly encouraged. In addition, we will be adding a 2 ½ Year Well Check-Up (starting in January 2008) in order to comply with developmental screening recommendations.
We would like to take the opportunity in this newsletter to review some of the different screens you may be asked to fill out at your child's visit.
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| Birth - 5 Years: PEDS ("Parent's Evaluation of Developmental Status")
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At each check-up from birth to 5 years of age, parents will now be asked to fill out the PEDS survey. This is a brief, 10 question survey, designed to assess parental concerns in the areas of speech (expressive and receptive), fine and gross motor skills, behavior, social skills, and learning. It takes less then 5 minutes to complete and is a validated screening tool that has been shown to help identify young children at risk for developmental delay. |
Autism-Specific Screening: M-CHAT ("Modified-Checklist for Autism in Toddlers")
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This Autism-specific survey is a 23-item "yes/no" questionnaire that has been extensively studied and validated in the early detection of autism. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that early detection of autism (along with the early introduction of behavioral therapy) leads to better developmental outcomes. The M-CHAT is designed to detect early signs of autism (which may be subtle). A positive screen on the M-CHAT should result in a referral to a developmental clinic for more thorough evaluation. We have been successfully
using the M-CHAT in our office for around 2 years.
It is administered at the 18-month, 2-year, and 2 ½-year well check.
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| 2 and 3 Year Visits: APEP ("Advanced Parenting Education in Pediatrics")
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The APEP survey is looking for "normal" children who have extreme temperaments. We are one of 10 pediatric groups in Massachusetts participating in a study run by the developmental pediatricians at Tufts-New England Medical Center. The study is investigating whether a training program aimed at improving parenting skills can reduce behavioral symptoms in young children who are at risk for developing childhood behavior disorders (such as ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder). Parents of children with a positive screen will be offered the opportunity to participate in group parenting courses designed with the challenging child in mind.
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| 6-12 Year Visits: PSC ("Pediatric Symptom Checklist")
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The PSC is a validated screening test developed by Dr. Mike Jellinek (the Chief of Child Psychiatry at MGH as well as the president of Newton-Wellesley Hospital). Featuring 35 questions about your child's psychosocial development, the test is designed to assess how well your child is functioning. A positive test, while it does not make any specific diagnoses, suggests that there is a problem and that further evaluation is warranted. On the other hand, a negative screen serves as reassurance. |
| 13-16 Year Visits: CRAFFT Survey
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CRAFFT is a brief, six question survey given to teens and designed to identify adolescents with alcohol and drug abuse problems. It was developed at Children's Hospital with the hope of detecting teens with potential substance use so that they can get help before they get into trouble. We have been administering this test on our adolescent questionnaire for some time now.
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| 17-21 Year Visits: PHQ-9 ("9 Question Patient-Health Questionnaire")
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The PHQ-9 is a brief screen created to help identify depression in adults. Because many of the symptoms of depression can be easily confused with symptoms of adolescence, finding young adults with mood issues can open a dialogue that may lead to them seeking psychiatric treatment sooner (and, perhaps decreasing rates of self-medication, alcoholism, and suicide).
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| Reaching Beyond Ourselves
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Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics would like to alert you to a exciting organization that you may not be aware of. One Laptop Per Child is an organization dedicated to providing children in the developing world laptop computers. By providing computers, they hope to empower children and offer a connection to the outside world. From now until November 26th, One Laptop Per Child is having a GIVE ONE, GET ONE special, offering 2 computers for $399, at least one of which is donated to a third world child (you can opt to donate both of them). We have participated in this program and encourage you to check it out.
Happy Thanksgiving! | |
