Pediatric Telemedicine in New York
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Telehealth Appointments:
At Pediatric Associates of Plainview, we are continuing to serve our patients to the best of our abilities.Testing for COVID-19:
Disclaimer
Helping Your Child Cope With Anxiety
School or other social atmospheres such as daycare can be a great opportunity for children to learn new topics, develop ideas, form new friendships, and create a sense of self. However, navigating in new environments or uncomfortable situations can cause anxiety in some children. Whether it is a child nervous walking to their new classroom, an anxious child worrying about going outside for recess, or a child afraid to go in front of the classroom for a presentation, it is important to be able to understand anxiety in children and know how you can help. That is why here at Pediatric Associates of Plainview, a center for Pediatric Telemedicine in New York, we offer anxiety screenings so that we can properly diagnose and help children who may be suffering from it.
What is Anxiety?
Believe it or not, it is healthy to experience anxiety from time to time. However, if anxiety persists and a person experiences it at extraordinary levels, it could be considered a disorder. Anxiety has been rooted in us since the early days of humanity. By activating our “fight-or-flight response,” It allowed our early ancestors to evade or fight off potential predators. Today, our anxiety has shifted towards work, school, money, or other social issues. Common symptoms of anxiety may include:
- Restlessness.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Unable to concentrate on your day-to-day tasks.
- Raising heartbeat and sweating.
- Increased feeling of irritability.
Types of Anxiety In Children
If you believe your child is experiencing anxiety, look out for signs such as being clingy, crying, throwing tantrums, or being unable to sleep. Keep in mind that anxiety is not always a bad thing, and be sure to bring them to our center for Pediatric Telemedicine in New York if it becomes a concern.
The different types of anxiety that are commonly experienced by children are:
- Specific Phobia – Having a severe and irrational fear for a situation or thing such as fear of spiders, going in front of the classroom, or certain objects.
- Social Anxiety – Your child fears social situations such as being around other children at a playground or social space. They feel very anxious and self-conscious and may worry about being judged or bullied.
- Separation Anxiety – Your child gets extremely upset when you part ways from them when dropping them off at school or daycare.
What Should You Do?
There are a few ways you can help your child if they experiencing high levels of anxiety, including:
- Asking your child to name their anxiety.
- Going to new places to help your child adapt to new environments.
- Being mindful of your behavior and acting as a role model for your kids (remember kids tend to mimic their parents).
- Allowing your child to destress when needed.
- Giving them exposure by having them order their food at a restaurant or ask for the things they need.
- Bringing them to our center for Pediatric Telemedicine in New York to get a proper anxiety screening.
Pediatric Telemedicine in New York
If you believe that your child is experiencing high levels of anxiety, you should be sure to seek out professional help as soon as possible. Consider bringing them to our team at Pediatric Associates of Plainview for an anxiety screening. We will work to assess your child’s anxiety and properly diagnose whatever problems they are facing. Don’t wait, contact us to get started today!
How Can My Kids Stay Active While Social Distancing?
By now, we all know how serious the Coronavirus is and how important it is to keep our distance from one another. While it is important to maintain social distancing, it is also important to stay active and not let our normal routines slip away. This is especially important for children, as maintaining the same routine and activity levels will help them feel a sense of normalcy. If you are a parent wondering how you can help your child safely remain active during these times, the team here at Pediatric Associates of Plainview is here to help! We are all in this together, so we want to extend our hand to help during these undeniably difficult times.
How to Practice Social Distancing
As the Coronavirus is highly contagious, keeping a safe distance from those around you is an essential part of flattening the curve. It is recommended that everyone stay at least six feet apart from one another, whether you live together or not. It is encouraged that everyone stays at home and only goes out when necessary to help stop the spread. If you must go out for essentials, it is important that you wear a mask or some kind of barrier around your mouth to keep you and others safe. Here at Pediatric Associates of Plainview, we are also offering Pediatric Telemedicine in New York to help limit the amount of traffic in our office in accordance with CDC guidelines.
How To Stay Active While Social Distancing
These times are difficult to navigate for many as everyone is trying to figure out how to keep busy and active while being quarantined at home. With social distancing being mandated and places like parks and beaches being closed, it is more difficult for kids to stay active. However, while this may be new to your family, there are things that you can do in or around your home that will keep both you and your children safe and active. Some great ideas you can do to help keep your kids active during these times may include any of the following:
- Going on family walks or runs.
- Creating an obstacle course in your home or yard.
- Exercising together in a way that is fun for them.
- Riding bikes, scooters, rollerblades, etc. together.
- Playing sports with whatever toys and materials you have on hand.
- Having a dance party.
Why Staying Active is Important
Understandably, it is important to stay physically active and fit for a variety of reasons, especially with everything going on in the world today. Being that we must stay home, it can be easy for your family to fall into a routine of being laid up on the couch every day. You should avoid this and strive to keep everyone active for both physical and mental health reasons. Among the many benefits of staying active, especially for children, are the following:
- Improved mood.
- Reduced stress levels.
- Improved sleep.
- Sharpened focus.
- Weight management.
Contact Us
If you need any additional ideas on how to keep your kids active during these hard times, please do not hesitate to contact us. Additionally, if you suspect your child needs pediatric assistance, we are now offering Pediatric Telemedicine in New York so that we can help to the best of our ability while keeping everyone safe. Please visit our website to learn more about what we’re doing to help our patients during these times or contact us today!
Keeping Children Occupied Without Screen Time
Technology has given us the ability to let our children access information like never before. While smartphones and tablets are great for educational purposes, allowing children to spend too much time looking at screens can be detrimental to their health. At Pediatric Associates of Plainview, our team knows how difficult it can be to keep them occupied without screen time, especially under stay at home orders. That is why we’d like to offer some advice to help keep your child engaged without being dependent on devices.
Issues With Screen Time
Understanding the issues that too much exposure to screen time can bring is the first step in creating healthy boundaries for your child. If you do not, the following problems could take place:
- Engaging in sedentary screen time too often increases the chance of your child becoming overweight.
- The light that is emitted from the screen can interfere with a natural sleep cycle, causing insomnia.
- Elementary school children who spend too much time looking at screens are more likely to develop behavioral or academic issues.
Tips For Limiting Screen Time
Weaning your child off of their screen time habits will prove to be very beneficial when trying to keep them occupied. When you’re worried your child has been spending too much time with their devices, we recommend the following tips:
- Create “technology-free zones” throughout your house where the use of devices isn’t permitted.
- Set a good example by limiting the amount of time you spend in front of screens.
- Let screen time be a privilege that can be taken away.
- Set parental controls on your child’s devices so they can only be used at predetermined times.
Keeping Them Occupied
After limiting their screen time, it’s time to work on keeping them engaged. While it may be a difficult task at first, creating a healthy routine may have them spending even less screen time than you intended. Below are some great examples to help achieve this goal:
- Give them important tasks to do throughout the house.
- Encourage your children to play outdoors.
- Challenge them to complete a puzzle or craft.
- Have them read or listen to an audiobook.
- Show your child you are always willing to have meaningful conversations with them.
Contact Us
Children often have an abundance of energy just waiting to be released. While screen time is an important and beneficial education and relaxation tool, too much of this can stifle your child’s development. To mitigate the chances of this happening, you should always make an effort to keep them occupied without smartphones or other devices. For more advice on how this can be achieved, don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule your appointment with us for Pediatric Telemedicine in New York today!
