The Child with Special Health Care Needs and the Well-Child Visit
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends 13 well-child visits during the first three years of your child’s life. Well-child visits are all about prevention and promotion of healthy habits. Recommended vaccinations are given during these visits, as well as routine screenings for such things as vision or hearing problems, anemia, autism, and other issues. It is the perfect time to share what your child is doing and learning, and to share any questions or concerns you might have.
If Your Child Has Special Health Care Needs, Does He or She Still Need These Additional Health Care Visits?
Yes! Every child needs well child visits! Even the child with the most severe special health care issues or disabilities still needs good information on healthy eating, oral health care, and safety precautions. The information can be tailored to fit the needs and abilities of the child, but it is still important.
Using the Well Visit Planner for Children with Special Health Care Needs
You can adapt how you use the Planner depending on your child’s special health care needs. For example, your child may have a developmental delay. If so, it may be more helpful to complete the questionnaire about your child’s developmental age, not his or her actual age.
Use the Planner as a tool to help you think through the topics around promoting good health and preventing illness and accidents for your child.
The Well Visit Planner can also give you ideas of questions to ask your child’s specialists or other health care providers.
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