When did your school aged child last have a check up?
Dr Nicole White
Primary school aged children often go for long stretches of time without visiting their GP. Problems with growth, development, learning and general health can be easily missed during these years.
You may recall being a frequent flyer at your GP surgery when your child was young. Regular visits associated with childhood immunisations and common illnesses in this age group provide a great opportunity to monitor growth and development regularly.
There are many reasons why primary school aged children should have a relationship with a regular GP – here are my top 5.
1. To make sure that your child is comfortable and not fearful of seeing the doctor.
Many children associate going to the doctor with having a needle or perhaps a COVID swab in more recent times – this is scary for kids and creates a sense of fear around visiting the doctor. Coming in for check ups that don’t include scary things will make your child more comfortable visiting the doctor. Fast forward to when your young child is a teenager – having a GP that your teenager trusts and can talk to can be very helpful during this often challenging time. These trusting relationships are built in early childhood.
2. To check that your child is not too big or too small!
GPs are able to measure your child’s height and weight just like we did regularly when they were babies. We can plot these measurements on standardised growth charts which show where they are compared to the normal range for their age and past growth history. This way we can easily identify problems with growth such as short stature, underweight or overweight and arrange appropriate intervention if necessary.
3. To check in on how things are going at school.
Often learning problems become apparent in early primary school. These can take on many forms including difficulties with language and literacy, difficulties with handwriting and fine motor tasks, difficulties with attention and focus in the classroom or difficulties developing age appropriate social skills. Sometimes issues with hearing or vision can also emerge during these years.
Parents may notice some of these concerns and assume that their child will “grow out of it.” Unfortunately in many cases the challenges become more apparent as the school work gets harder. The good news is that in children with learning difficulties, early intervention can make a big difference a child’s overall wellbeing and achievement of their academic potential.
4. To check on their mental health and behaviour.
Many young children have difficulties with big emotions and difficulty controlling these. Other children experience anxiety. Unfortunately we have seen this more and more over recent months since the COVID pandemic has changed all of our lives and increased stress and fear for our children. Identifying emotional issues early provides the opportunity to get some help for your child to learn some skills to manage these issues. Children’s behaviour and mental health can have a massive impact on overall family dynamics and parenting and are responsible for a big part of parental stress. GPs can help with this.
5. To check the basics: diet and sleep.
Common problems that we see in childhood are things like iron deficiency related to fussy eating. Did you know that iron deficiency can actually suppress a child’s appetite and can have significant impacts on their behaviour?
Another big one is constipation. Many children do not have a regular bowel habit or pass bowel motions that are too hard or too infrequent . Over time this can result in problems with the function of the gut and lead to long term problems with toileting.
Sleep issues in young children can also have a negative impact on their mood, behaviour, school performance and overall wellbeing. Sleeping problems in children may be related to behaviour, mental health concerns or an underlying medical condition. Your GP can help sort this out.
Most parents have some questions or concerns about their child’s health at any given time – please don’t ignore these. Make an appointment for a child health consultation with one of the caring, paediatric focussed GPs consulting at Neighbourhood Medical.
