For tweens and teens, the feeling of not fitting in can be distressing. Peer pressure and the adverse effects of social media—unrealistic comparisons to other teens and celebrities, fear of missing out and the well-documented addictiveness of social platforms—can compound the problem and undermine a young person’s mental health [...]
Before your child heads back to school, ensuring they have a properly fitting backpack should be at the top of your to-do list. Improperly worn or too heavy backpacks can cause acute and chronic back, neck and shoulder pain notes CentraState sports medicine specialist, Arth Patel, MD. Dr. Patel [...]
For kids, nothing beats summer’s bright and balmy months for rest, rejuvenation, and fun. But the season is always fleeting – and back-to-school concerns may soon present themselves, especially for adolescents transitioning to new schools. According to CentraState child and adolescent psychiatrist Ankur Desai, MD, the transitions from elementary [...]
Five-year-old Mikey Mendez loves sea creatures and is obsessed with letters and numbers. His brother, Max, lives up to the term “terrible twos” by being a bit mischievous; he enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together. Their mother, Lauren, says both of her boys are very smart, [...]
The holiday season is a time to be thankful and appreciative of the good things in our lives. For parents of young children, it’s also an ideal time to introduce some teachable moments that help kids understand the true importance of the season. “The outcome of this effort is [...]
Family medicine physicians serve as the hub for a patient’s care—and often, they are the center of an entire family’s health and well-being. These specialists see patients at every stage of life, including newborns, children, and teens. “We want our pediatric patients of all ages to know that their [...]
Stuck inside on a cold December day, 7-year-old Jackson resident Julian Rosenthal and his little brother were roller skating in the kitchen while their mom, Rebecca, watched them. With limited activity options outside the home due to COVID-19, Rebecca was accustomed to finding creative ways to keep the boys [...]
Before Chandler, age 3, started speech and occupational therapy at CentraState’s OceanFirst Rehabilitation Center, he spoke very little and communicated primarily with pointing, despite having early intervention services. After months of intensive therapy, this now-talkative child has found his voice. Chandler suffered from recurring ear infections that made hearing, [...]
By Ankur Desai, MD Empty shelves in the grocery stores. Schools closed. Social distancing. The global coronavirus outbreak has hit home, leaving parents in uncharted territory. These factors can raise the overall level of anxiety for both children and adults. Here are some tips for parents to help address [...]
Occupational therapists help children and adults acquire or regain the skills essential to perform activities of daily life. They help patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills necessary for a successful and fulfilling life. A growing area of our pediatric clinical work is treating children with sensory processing [...]
