|
Questions & Answers by SUSAN J. MARGOLIN, M.D., M.P.H. If you have a question for the pediatrician, please e-mail it to ESALAMON@SBHCS.COM or mail it to Dear Dr. Margolin, Q. How do I know whether or when to bring my child who has a sore throat in to the doctor for a throat culture? A. Most sore throats are caused by viruses and do not have to be treated with antibiotics. “Strep” is a sore throat caused by a bacterium which should be treated with antibiotics. When your doctor does a culture, he or she is looking for strep. Often a “strep” throat is accompanied by fever, headache, swollen glands and sometimes abdominal pain. It is not associated with the symptoms of a cold. You may want to wait a day or two after the onset of a sore throat to see if your child develops a cold. If not, a culture may be in order. Dear Dr. Margolin, Q. When do I have to worry about delayed speech in my child? A. Most children at the age of 12 months are able touse a specific word for their parents or caregivers as well as one other word. By 15 months they can say four to six other words and are making sounds like speech, although it is not speaking. At 18 months most children use 10-20 words and by two years they should be able to say 50 words and speak in two word sentences (I come, etc.) At that age about 25% of what they say should be understood by a stranger. At three years 75% of what is said should be under-stood by a stranger and by age 4, 100% of what is said should be understood. By age 4, a child should be speaking four to five word sentences. Children who hear two languages will use words in both but should be able to say the same number of words as children who hear only one language. If a child’s language development falls far from these standards then hearing should be checked and further evaluation done. Dear Dr. Margolin, Q. Does my child who is entering a school sports program need any additional medical testing before becoming a member of a school team? A. Generally a good physical examination by your pediatrician is all that is necessary, although some pediatric cardiologists are recommending that an electrocardiogram be done in advance of engaging in an active sport. In that way “hidden” cardiac irregularities that can affect a child who is very active may be picked up in advance. [ top ] |
|
|||||||
