Archive for adolescent medicine
How to help children with special needs during social distancing
As the weather warms up, many children are struggling with the effects of being stuck inside. For special needs children and their families, the challenges can be magnified. But there are some simple, yet effective, things that can help everyone survive — and perhaps even thrive — during this trying time. With schools officially closed for ... Read More
In the coronavirus crisis, when should your child see the doctor?
If your child is sick or is due for a checkup or vaccine, you may wonder if it’s okay to go to the doctor right now. With more pediatricians seeing patients remotely in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, the majority of routine and sick visits can be managed via telehealth. But there are still some ... Read More
Embracing the benefits of virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sheltering at home during the coronavirus doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice high-quality health care. Many families are finding that a lot of services they used to travel into Boston for are now available from the comfort of home using our expanded telehealth capacity. This is allowing parents and kids to manage chronic conditions, or ... Read More
Vaping and COVID-19: A toxic blend?
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping most of us sheltering at home, teens who vape are facing a reckoning. Should they quit vaping? What if they can’t? “Some of our patients have successfully quit vaping, and tell us that ‘stay at home’ orders have helped, because they’re not around their friends who use,” says Dr. Sharon ... Read More
Teens, social distancing, and anxiety in the time of COVID-19
You’d think teens would be in their sweet spot: minimal school, no extracurriculars, and plenty of time to sleep in, watch Netflix, surf the web, and have video chats. But in reality, many teens are unnerved by COVID-19 and the disruption it has brought. Many struggle with being stuck at home, unable to visit their ... Read More
COVID-19 and children: Understanding the science
As information on COVID-19 pours in from all kinds of sources, not all of them reliable, we wanted to bring you the facts about how children and teens appear to be responding to the infection. In recent weeks, several highly respected medical journals have published studies and commentaries based on observations in children and teens ... Read More
CRUSH: Developing a sexual education program for young adults on the autism spectrum
For many young adults on the autism spectrum, developing and maintaining positive intimate relationships can be challenging. But collaboration between Boston Children’s Hospital and UMass Boston hopes to provide some on-point guidance through a new initiative¾the Competence in Romance and Sexual Health (CRUSH) program, aimed at developing a new sex education curriculum for young adults ... Read More
Migraine prevention in children and teens: Weak support for medication
Several medications successfully treat an active migraine. But a review of the medical literature from Boston Children’s Hospital finds only weak evidence that drug treatment prevents migraine in children and adolescents. Only two medications — topiramate and propranolol — showed any difference in preventing migraine in this age group compared with a placebo. Joe Kossowsky ... Read More
New treatment guidelines for complex ADHD
Approximately 7.5 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and about two-thirds of them have one or more co-existing conditions such as learning disorders or mental health problems. Treatment for these more complex forms of ADHD has focused largely on medical interventions. But now, a new clinical guideline ... Read More
Poverty associated with suicide risk in children and adolescents
Suicide in children under age 20 has been increasing in the U.S., with rates almost doubling over the last decade. Between 2007 to 2016, nearly 21,000 children ages 5-19 years old died by suicide. While the reasons for the increase are not well understood, new research from Boston Children’s Hospital shows a link between poverty ... Read More