Is Your Student on (a Healthy) Track for Fall?

Whether your child will go to daycare, a classroom or a college campus this fall, now is the time to check wellness visits and immunizations off your to-do list. Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital helps parents navigate their child’s health care.

Recommended for infants, children, teens and young adults, these checkups allow your child’s doctor or clinician to:

• Perform a physical exam and important screenings
• Offer recommended immunizations (shots)
• Track their physical, emotional and social development

“This care can help prevent health problems or catch them early when they may be easier to treat,” says pediatric physician assistant Jocelyn Masotti, PA-C, with LVPG Pediatrics–Lehighton. Each visit is also an in-person opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and have forms completed.

Over time, some aspects of the visits will change, along with your child’s age and needs.

Newborn to 30 months

This is a busy time for you and your little one. Their first well-child visit should take place when they’re just 3 to 5 days old. “By 15 months, they should have had more than six checkups,” Masotti says. Other notable firsts include blood lead level testing (12 and 24 months) and formal autism spectrum disorder screenings (18 and 24 months).

Ages 3–6

Well-child visits are now just once a year, but still offer essential care. “Your child’s doctor will continue asking about how your child is playing, learning, speaking, acting and moving,” Masotti says. This helps determine if they’re on track with developmental milestones or uncover delays that may need further assessment. What else can you expect?

• Age 3 kicks off routine vision and blood pressure screenings.
• Age 4 means your child is due for a hearing test and another dose of several recommended immunizations.
• Age 5 often marks the start of kindergarten. Your doctor can help make sure your child’s immunization record is up-to-date and meets school requirements.
• Age 6 is a good time to talk about safety. A child’s increasing independence can put them at risk for accidental injuries. Use their latest height and weight to confirm they’re in the right car seat.

Ages 7–21

Annual well-child visits help older kids stay on a healthy path. “You’ll continue to talk about physical activity, healthy eating, sleep, and how things are going at school, at home and in extracurricular activities,” Masotti says.

Believe it or not, kids can have high cholesterol. Screenings begin between ages 9 and 11. Your child should also start their meningococcal (MenACWY) and human papillomavirus (HPV) shots between ages 11 and 12.

For adolescents, confidential conversations will address issues like smoking, alcohol and drugs, sexual activity and depression. Their primary care physician may suggest screenings for HIV, chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections.

Make sure young adults know and meet the requirements of the college or technical school they’ll be attending.