Yearly physicals ensure your child can participate fully and safely in school. Your pediatrician checks for physical and mental health conditions, which could impact development and learning ability. Let’s learn more about yearly school physicals and how they can help detect health issues early.
What Happens During an Annual School Physical?
During a school physical exam, your child’s doctor will thoroughly assess your child’s overall health. This includes the basics:
- Height
- Weight
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Vision
- Hearing
She will do a visual check of your child’s skin, musculature, and reflexes.
In addition, your pediatrician will discuss your child’s medical history and any chronic health issues. As a parent, you can talk about any concerns you may have about your child’s behavior, learning, and overall emotional well-being.
Open communication between parents and pediatricians ensures your child’s health is always a top priority. So, no topic is off-limits.
Bring a list of questions. Your pediatrician has the knowledge and compassion to help you sort through the challenges of raising children from infancy through college.
Encourage your child to talk about anything impacting their health, school or home life, friendships, and more.
What Are the Health Benefits of Annual School Physical?
Here are some benefits of getting your child an annual physical examination before the start of the new school year.
Recommendations for Changes in the Academic Program
Based on her findings, your pediatrician can recommend changes in the school environment or educational program. These changes can improve the child’s overall well-being and ensure safe and successful participation.
For instance, the pediatrician may advise keeping asthma medications and an asthma action plan in the school nurse’s office. She may recommend specific classroom accommodations for a student with a learning disability, such as dyslexia.
Referrals for Specialty Healthcare
Also, the school physical may reveal the need for referral to:
- An eye doctor for a complete vision exam (and corrective lenses if needed for nearsightedness, astigmatism, and other vision problems)
- A psychologist for an in-depth learning assessment
- An orthopedic specialist for scoliosis (a spinal curvature commonly detected in the teen years)
- An allergist for food or respiratory allergies or asthma control
- An ear, nose, and throat doctor for a hearing assessment (because hearing deficits impact speech, language, learning, and more)
Administering Vaccines
The doctor will discuss any immunizations or updates needed for your child’s age and grade level. These vaccines protect your child from communicable diseases, such as whooping cough, tetanus, and more.
Also, they help prevent the spread of illnesses throughout the school environment. When more children receive their shots, the more the community is protected.
Managing Chronic Health Issues
The school physical is also a great opportunity to address any ongoing health conditions your child may have, such as ADD, asthma, or diabetes. The pediatrician can provide the resources and advice for managing these conditions while your child attends school.
Planning for the Future
Finally, the school physical helps you and your child’s doctor plan for the future. It reveals current and possible health challenges.
With the guidance of your pediatrician and healthcare professionals, you and your family can address these concerns as early as possible. Early intervention for physical, emotional, mental, and learning issues can lead to better outcomes and success in school and beyond.
School Physicals in Tuckahoe, NY
At Village Pediatric Group in Tuckahoe, NY, our four board-certified pediatricians and their support staff are happy to perform the physical examinations necessary for school attendance and sports participation. We provide a wide range of health-related services, including acute and chronic health problems and stress preventive services, such as physical exams, vaccines, nutritional and mental health counseling, and more, caring for newborn babies, preschoolers, school-age children, teens, and young adults up to age 21.
We also have a pediatrician on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to address pressing health needs.
To find out more about our services or to schedule your child’s school physical, call us at (914) 771-7070 or use our convenient appointment request form. We look forward to serving you!
