Get More Info About Dr. Robyn Here: http://www.DrRobynSilverman.comHow do we talk to kids about Health Challenges &Medical Diagnoses Many of us have been there. We walk out of an appointment with our child’s doctor or teacher and we feel concerned—and a whole host of other feelings from fear to anger to sadness, confusion and of course, love. We all hope that our children are healthy and cruise through life fairly unscathed- so when reality hits and we hear that our child has common challenges like ADHD or learning disabilities or more severe challenges like feeding issues, asthma, food allergies, anxiety or depression, we can become alarmed. As we may flip into roles beyond the typical parenting caregiver to medical scheduler, diagnosis researcher, health advocate and more- we may find that money, time, access and a feeling of calm is in short supply. What can we do to cope with and talk with our kids about challenging medical diagnoses and how to proceed through life with one? For this, we turn to Dr. Kelly Fradin. Many of us have been there. We walk out of an appointment with our child’s doctor or teacher and we feel concerned—and a whole host of other feelings from fear to anger to sadness, confusion, and of course, love. We all hope that our children are healthy and cruise through life fairly unscathed- so when reality hits and we hear that our child has common challenges like ADHD or learning disabilities or more severe challenges like feeding issues, asthma, food allergies, anxiety, or depression, we can become alarmed. As we may flip into roles beyond the typical parenting caregiver to medical scheduler, diagnosis researcher, health advocate, and more- we may find that money, time, access and a feeling of calm is in short supply. What can we do to cope with and talk with our kids about challenging medical diagnoses and how to proceed through life with one? For this, we turn to Dr. Kelly Fradin. Dr. Kelly Fradin (@AdviceIGiveMyFriends) is a pediatrician, mother of two, and child advocate based in New York City. As the Director of Pediatrics at Atria Institute, Dr. Fradin was inspired to become a doctor because of her experience surviving childhood cancer. A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, she has dedicated her career to caring for children with complex medical conditions in many situations including academic clinics, private practice, inpatient units, and schools. She shares realistic and empowering parenting advice and children’s health information on her Instagram account @AdviceIGiveMyFriends, which continues to grow. Important Messages: • My diagnosis affected more than just me- it affected the family. Children don’t exist in, in isolation. They’re part of a family unit and, and we need to talk about that context when we help a child because a child with asthma in one family may require a totally different plan of care than a child with the same diagnosis in a different family. • Mistake: When you survive childhood cancer, you’re often left with kind of a laundry list of you’re at higher risk for skin cancer. So you see a dermatologist, you’re at higher risk for, for colon cancer, so you have to go to colonoscopy early and all this healthcare maintenance stuff. And when I was in my twenties and early thirties and in medical school and starting a family, it was very tempting to dismiss the preventive healthcare and not make it a priority and not make time for it. And I think that is, is generally speaking a mistake, but the fact that even me with my knowledge of how important it is still made those decisions, we may prioritize just the regular everyday. • Parent impact: Biggest success in my experience and the thing that I think had the biggest impact was that my mom was very empowered to, to advocate for me • Tempted to avoid the conversation. We often want to protect our children from hard things. But child knows there is something wrong even before you say something. Body language of parent. Whispers. Extra doctor’s appointments. Then the child acts out—because of the stress. • Advice: So I would encourage parents to communicate earlier rather than waiting, because that even if, even if the answer is, “I don’t know, but we’re gonna figure it out by asking the right people for help and, and we have a plan to get more information and I’ll update you soon,” that that can make a child feel safe and that can make a child feel like they’re a part of the team and that they’re have some control. And it also invites children then to ask follow-up questions because it’s better that they ask than that they worry or stew on their own. • Warning: Children can get a sense and a sense that something’s going on. And because they have such vivid imaginations, they can actually go to a darker place and wonder if something even more profound is happening to them or somebody that they love. And by talking to them, we put them in a little bit mo
from Dr. Robyn Silverman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhLraw7fDS0
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