Flu Vaccine
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We still have vaccine available for all age groups in our office. This includes both the Flumist and the injectable flu vaccine. Please see our Archived eNewsletter, August 2009, for a full report on the seasonal flu vaccine guidelines. We are still awaiting further information whether we will be receiving the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine in our office and we will keep you posted through our newsletter as we know more.
WALK-IN FLU VACCINE HOURS: SELECTED SATURDAYS ADDED
We are giving flu vaccines on a walk-in basis in our B105
main office only between the hours of 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday. We have added a few Saturdays for patients to be able to walk in between the hours of 9 am to noon in the B105 main office. These Saturdays are:
- September 26
- October 31
- November 7
- November 14
- November 21
These are posted on the home page of our website along with any flu vaccine supply updates.
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More Active Kids Fall Asleep Easier
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Probably most parents may have figured this out, but a new study found that more active children have an easier time falling asleep. In a study from the the University of Auckland in New Zealand, researchers looked at 7-year-old children and found that the average time to fall asleep was 26 minutes. The more active they were, the less time it took to fall asleep and the more sedentary time, the longer it took to fall asleep. In addition, many studies now indicate that children and adults who sleep less hours have a higher risk for obesity.
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Car Seat Safety
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Car seat choices are abundant and the American Academy of Pediatrics has a very complete guide to car seats along with current safety guidelines, tips on installation and an index of specific car seat manufacturers along with specific seat weight and height limits and price. Check out the page by clicking here.
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Speech Problems and Early Reading
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Why do some children start reading in preschool while others
are still struggling with phonics in second and third grade? Many times the answer has to do with phonemic
(aka phonological) awareness.
In order to acquire phonics, children must be aware of the
sounds in spoken words.
In other words, to sound-out written words, children
must first have the understanding that spoken words are made up of
sounds. The spoken word "fast", for
example, consists of sounds which, when produced separately, go like this;
'f'-'a'-'s'-'t'.
Children who understand that concept will understand the
relationship between the spoken word and the written
word and the spoken sound and the written letter. This knowledge will enable them to learn the
sound-letter relationships, which will lead to sounding out their first words. Then
they will learn that they can change the 'a' in "fast" to an 'i' and make the word
"fist". They will also learn to substitute an 'l'
for the 'f' in "fist" and make the word "list" and to delete
the 's' from "fist" and make the word "fit".
This is possible because these children have phonemic awareness. Children's decoding skills then quickly
escalate until they can sound out most words, including those with multiple
syllables.
While the majority of children acquire this concept in
Kindergarten or 1st grade, there are some children who just don't
get it. These are the children who, as preschoolers,
haven't grasped the concept that the written word is not the same as the object
it represents. If you ask these children
to name a really long word, they may
say "train". Is "train" a really long word or a really long object?
Having no concept of a "word", it is not surprising that these children
cannot understand "sounds".
The children who have the greatest risk for this difficulty
are those with a family history of learning problems and those with a history
of ear infections and speech challenges. The good news is that these children
can learn "phonemic awareness". Like any
delay, it is best to identify and treat this difficulty with phonemic awareness
early before it can cause a reading delay and lower a child's self esteem. As a precaution, parents of preschoolers can check
to see if their children can rhyme words and play with words like making
nonsense words and speaking "Pig Latin".
Also, watch children who are still
mispronouncing words (e.g. "pasgetti" for "spaghetti" or "hangaber" for "hamburger")
in Kindergarten and 1st grade.
If a child at the mid-first grade is still struggling with
phonics acquisition, it is best to have this problem evaluated by a speech/language
pathologist who specializes in reading and written language. The earlier the problem is identified and
intervention begins, the less time it takes to treat the problem and catch up
with peers. Keep in mind that prevention is quicker, easier and less
expensive than correction.
This article was contributed by Jodie Schuller at Jodie Schuller and Associates, Language, Speech and Educational Services
(858.509.1131). www.speak4success.com.
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Recommended Reading List: Order Directly from Amazon
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We have updated our Recommended Reading list and now you can conveniently order your books on our website through Amazon! We have a lot of categories of books to choose from and here is the list!
- ECP authors
- Most Popular
- General Pediatrics
- Breastfeeding
- Cooking
- Nutrition/Feeding
- Eating Disorders
- Obesity/Overweight
- Behavior Issues/Oppositional-Defiant
- Discipline/Parenting
- Divorce
- School/Homework
- Sleep Issues
- Sports
- Teen Issues
- Toilet Training
- Vaccine Safety
- Baby and Child Activity
- Children's Books: New Baby
- Children's Books: Going to the Doctor/Dentist/Hospital
- Advocacy for Special Needs
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Autism/Aspergers
- Autism: Education/Treatment
- Autism: For Siblings
- Pain
- Obsessive-Compulsive
- Sensory Issues
- Miscellaneous Topics
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UCSD Study
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UCSD has study groups for children from 8-12 years old and also for teens 12-15 years old who are overweight. You may call them to see if your child qualifies by calling 858.205.8219 or email them at kidsweight@ucsd.edu.
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