Other Services

  • ADHD/ADD Evaluations

    Evaluate And Diagnosis Of Symptoms



    Our trained professional staff will do the initial evaluation if you think your child is having problems with focusing and attention.  We also continue to treat your child after the initial diagnosis has been made.  



    The ultimate goal in the treatment of ADHD/ADD is to make your child as successful as possible in all aspects of his/her life.



    ADHD FAQs



    WHAT IS ADHD?



    Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD have differences in their brains than those who don’t have ADHD. Certain areas of their brain may mature more slowly. Additionally, children with ADHD have imbalances in neural networks and neurotransmitters, the chemicals that nerves use to communicate.



    Knowing that ADHD has a neurological basis is important because it helps parents understand that their child isn’t disobedient or oppositional on purpose. Instead, children with ADHD need help to learn to control their behavior.



    The brain differences are also important because they occur in specific areas responsible for skills such as self-regulation, organization, working memory, problem-solving, reasoning, and time perception. The brain areas affected determine your child’s ADHD symptoms.



    WHAT SYMPTOMS DEVELOP DUE TO ADHD?



    ADHD symptoms fall into three categories: inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Some children may only struggle with inattention, while others have trouble with two or three categories.



    Each child has a different range and severity of symptoms. However, their symptoms are severe enough to affect their performance at school, at home, and when socializing.



    When children struggle with inattention, they:

    • Can’t pay attention at school or while playing
    • Have difficulty organizing tasks
    • Avoid tasks requiring mental effort
    • Lose important items
    • Forget to do homework and chores


    When children struggle with hyperactivity and impulsivity, they:

    • Fidget, squirm, or get out of their seat during class
    • Run or climb when it’s inappropriate
    • Talk excessively and interrupt conversations
    • Have a hard time waiting for their turn
    • Act or speak without thinking


    Children and adolescents with ADHD also have problems with working memory. Working memory allows them to hold several pieces of information in their head long enough to use them to plan, do calculations, or to coordinate one activity with another.



    HOW DO YOU DIAGNOSE AND TREAT ADHD?



    To evaluate and diagnose ADHD, our professional team use tools such as a checklist of symptoms, talking with parents and children about their challenges, and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers. Your child also has a thorough physical exam to be sure another problem is not the cause of their symptoms.



    Once your child has an ADHD diagnosis, their pediatrician at our office prescribes treatment and schedules regular follow-up appointments to monitor their progress.



    Your pediatrician may recommend conventional and/or holistic treatments, depending on each child’s needs. For example, your child may improve with a combination of medication, dietary changes, and behavioral support.



    If you or your child’s teacher are concerned about your child’s inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive behaviors, call our office to schedule an ADHD evaluation.

  • Asthma Care

    Asthma & Allergy Management



    Our practice provides a comprehensive asthma and allergy management program for our patients. Our pediatricians are trained in the diagnosis and management of childhood asthma and allergies. Diagnosis is usually made during a sick visit when a child is wheezing or exhibiting symptoms of allergies. Occasionally, we may diagnose your child with asthma or allergies during a preventive care visit based on patient or parent concerns or our exam findings.



    Pulmonary Function Testing



    Pulmonary function testing is done at least annually and may be done when monitoring medication changes. The test results are interpreted by our providers to help guide your child’s treatment. This is a non-invasive test performed in all patients age 5 or older with asthma to assess lung function and response to medication and to assess overall asthma control. 



    Asthma Education



    We teach about environmental controls and avoidance of triggers. We also watch your child using his/her inhaler to confirm it is being used correctly. Information about caring for the medication devices that your child uses is provided and reviewed at every visit. We will provide an Asthma Action Plan for your child for school and will provide a Food Allergy Action Plan if needed.



    Maintence Visits



    Children with asthma should be seen in our office every 3-12 months depending on their severity of illness and their asthma control. Regular visits are required in order for us to evaluate your child prior to medication refills.



    HELPFUL RESOURCES:



  • Referral Information

    SPECIALTY REFERRALS



    Children can develop a variety of medical conditions which may benefit from the care of a pediatric specialist in a specific field. An important principle of Patient Centered Medical Home care involves coordinating all of the health care providers working with a specific patient. Our role in working with specialists to care for your child includes:



    • helping you know when specialty care is advisable
    • helping you find the right specialist for your child
    • making certain the specialist has all the information about your child needed to best diagnose and treat him/her
    • communicating effectively with the specialist. so that our providers can receive needed information to manage the care of your child’s health and development with the assistance of the specialist for specific issues.


    For this relationship between patient, primary care provider and specialist to work most effectively, it is almost always necessary for us to see a patient in our office before referring him/her to a specialist. This allows us to give the specialist the most detailed and up to date information about a child’s health issue as well as information about his/her current physical exam. It also provides us the opportunity to potentially speak to a specialist by phone while the patient is in the office if we feel the health concern is urgent enough to need intervention quickly.  Patients always benefit from positive collaboration between primary care providers and specialists.



    Most pediatric specialists in this area are associated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and that is where the majority of our referrals are sent. There are, however, several outside specialists who see children—particularly in the specialties of ENT, orthopedics, allergy, dermatology, and mental health—and we will always provide parents with options for different specialists when those are available.



    INSURANCE REFERRALS



    Some health insurance plans require a written insurance referral to see a specialist. If you have one of these plans and our physicians have referred your child to a specialist, go ahead and schedule the appointment.   Several days before that appointment, please call our office and we will be happy to oversee the insurance referral for you.  



    To get a referral we must have the following information:



    • name of the specific specialist
    • specific office location where your appointment is scheduled
    • reason for speciality visit
    • date of the visit

  • Refilling Your Medications

    As of December 1, 2015, all refills of long term medications will be handled through Medfusion(PXP), our electronic patient portal.  If you have not yet signed up for a Medfusion(PXP) account for your child, instructions are available here on our website.



    All refill requests made through the portal will be addressed the day they are received if made during regular business hours. Requests sent through the portal when our office is closed will be addressed the next regular business day.



    When your medication request is filled, you will receive an email from Medfusion(PXP) notifying you of a message on the portal. If we need additional information from you in order to fulfill your refill request, one of our registered nurses will include a request for that information on your patient portal message.



    THE AFTER-HOURS ON-CALL PHYSICIAN LINE IS NOT TO BE USED TO REQUEST REFILLS EXCEPT IN VERY RARE, URGENT CIRCUMSTANCES.

    Two examples of these might be a patient with known asthma who suffers an asthma attack and their rescue inhaler is expired, or a migraine patient who is out of their acute relief medication and has a severe headache. The best way to prevent such incidents is to use our patient portal to keep all of your child’s medication current—even those he or she doesn’t need to take daily.



    Instructions on how to request a refill throught the Patient Portal can be found here.
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