Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile recounts her birth experience and discusses preeclampsia.  She also wraps up the podcast as she sadly leaves Kids First Pediatric Partners to move out of state with her family

Is your child being bullied?  Do you think your child may be the school bully?  Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile discusses the different classifications of bullying and what types of behaviors a bully exhibits.  Karen also reviews how children and parents can address bullying to stop the behavior.  Resources for this podcast can be found at:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/bullying

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/bullies.html

https://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/info-facts.asp

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Bullying-Its-Not-Ok.aspx

Pediatric depression is a relatively common psychiatric condition that can continue episodically into adulthood.  In this podcast episode PNP Karen Gentile talks with Dr. Denise Gardner, a licensed clinical psychologist, about pediatric depression.  The topics reviewed in this episode include:

• Bad mood vs. depression
• How depression develops
• Assessing risk and suicidality
• Can I prevent depression in my child?
• Can I help my child with depression?
• How therapy can help with depression
• Accepting the diagnosis of depression and reducing stigma

In this episode Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile discusses vaping.  The FDA has recently declared an epidemic number of pre-teens and teens vaping, similarly the CDC has released new data regarding a very serious and potentially deadly pulmonary disease that is directly linked to vaping and is affecting our youth. In this episode we discuss:

• What is vaping?
• What are the ingredients in the vape oil?
• Is it safe for youth?
• What is the severe pulmonary disease afflicting the country from vaping and could it affect our children?
• Current statistics on the disease
• What to do if your child is vaping

Resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/index.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0906-vaping-related-illness.html

https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/products-ingredients-components/vaporizers-e-cigarettes-and-other-electronic-nicotine-delivery-systems-ends

http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/tobacco/e-cigarettes-and-vapes

https://www.truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/4-things-parents-need-know-about-juul-and-nicotine

https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/AAP-JUUL-Factsheet.pdf

Do you think your child may have ADHD? In our most recent podcast, Pediatric NP Karen Gentile sits down with psychology intern Edessa Mirzapolos to discuss Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD.  Edessa discusses how this disorder presents in the young child as well as how it is diagnosed.  We review the current treatment options and also explain ways in which parents and teachers can help their child live with and adapt to ADHD throughout their lives.  As a therapy intern Edessa also reviews the benefits of behavioral therapy for treating ADHD.

Resources: 

o   Taking Charge of ADHD, Revised Edition: The Complete Authoritative Guide for Parents by Russell Barkley, Ph.D.

o   Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare. 

o   The Whole-Brain CHILD by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

o   The Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder organization also has a useful website (www.chadd.org)

Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile is joined today with special guest Carly Lapin, Board Certified Behavioral Analyst and our very own Medical Assistant Patsy Sotelo!  Patsy's son has ASD and she shares her own personal journey with the diagnosis and Carly helps Patsy with some of the challenging issues she faces daily.  In this episode we discuss:

• What is Autism
  • Why does it happen/what causes it?
  • Symptoms
• Typical age at diagnosis
• Patsy’s personal experience with her son’s diagnosis
• Potty training a child with ASD
• Positive reinforcement techniques
• Sleep training a child with ASD
• Food selectivity in a child with ASD
• Advice for parents with a new diagnosis

Carly can be found at [email protected]

https://theplaceforchildrenwithautism.com

(847) 970-0748

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile reviews the risks of early sun damage and the rising incidence of skin cancer in adolescents and young adults.  To learn how to protect our kids from sun damage, Karen reviews the differences in sunscreen types and their ingredients, and the proper application procedures to ensure the best protection for our children.

Resources:

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Sun-Safety.aspx

https://www.aad.org/public/spot-skin-cancer/learn-about-skin-cancer/prevent/how-to-select-a-sunscreen

https://www.aad.org/media/stats/prevention-and-care/sunscreen-faqs

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/melanoma-skin-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

https://www.ascopost.com/issues/november-10-2015/why-melanoma-rates-are-increasing-in-adolescents-and-young-adults-especially-among-females/

If you've raised a toddler you know how difficult it can be navigating their mood swings, temper tantrums, and temperaments.  Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile sits down with Pediatrician Cathy DiVincenzo, MD to discuss discipline techniques.  Dr. DiVincenzo has 20 years of experience as a Pediatrician and also raised triplets!  She often lectures on the topic of discipline in our community and offers expert advice on how to tackle this difficult stage in parenting.  In this episode we discuss time-outs, time-ins, spanking, redirecting, speaking to your children, and the best techniques to avoid the dreaded public meltdown! 

Resources:

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/communication-discipline/Pages/Disciplining-Your-Child.aspx

Books:

Toddler 411, by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, MD

Happiest Toddler on the Block, by Harvey Karp, MD

Parenting with Love and Logic, by Foster Cline, MD and Jim Fay

1-2-3 Magic: 3-Step Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting, by Thomas Phelan, PhD

On this special episode, Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile is joined by Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Denise Gardner, PhD to discuss anxiety in children.  The topics we touch upon include:

• The difference between every day stress and clinical anxiety
• The prevalence of anxiety in children
• How anxiety develops
• Common co-occurring disorders such as depression, ADHD, eating disorders
• Common emotional and physical manifestations of anxiety
• Preventing anxiety
• How parents can help the child manage anxiety
• When should we consider seeking therapy for my child
• How can therapy help my child

Parents interested in scheduling therapy with Dr. Gardner or learning more about PCPA can find this information on http://www.pcpachicago.com

Additional resources: - Book recommendation: What to do when you worry too much (Huebner; ages 6-12; workbook for parents and children) - Apps - Head Space, Calm, Breathe2Relax - Websites: Anxiety Disorders Association of America (adaa.org)

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Karen Gentile reviews developmental milestones for each new stage of your child's growth starting at 2 months through ages 5 years of life.  Learn what to expect your child should be doing with social/emotional development, language/communication development, cognitive development, and physical development.  Karen reviews when you should talk to your Pediatrician or Nurse Practitioner if your child is not meeting certain milestones Resources: 

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

https://brightfutures.aap.org/Bright%20Futures%20Documents/BF4_POCKETGUIDE.pdf