Doctors too can help support academic success


Posted October 31, 2019 by medtalks

Pediatricians can become an integral part of the multidisciplinary teams at schools to help assess reasons for poor academic performance

 
As per recent studies, pediatricians too can help children who do not making expected progress in school. The research indicates how they can become an intrinsic part of a multidisciplinary team comprising family, school and other related professionals. There is a need to raise awareness on the fact that understanding the medical history can help when children face academic problems. Early detection of the cause followed by ongoing monitoring can help pediatriciansin improving their academic progress.

Academic dysfunction can be a symptom of various health issues and psychosocial factors such as cognitive dysfunctions, emotional difficulties and disorders, autism spectrum disorder, adversity or trauma, stress in important relationships in and out of the home, attention deficits and undiagnosed or poorly controlled chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Agarwal, President, HCFI, and President, CMAAO, said, “Anticipatory anxiety peaks before exams resulting in adverse effects on the body and mind and therefore, a sub optimal performance. Stress can cause palpitations and tense muscles and reduce the ability to make decisions, act or express oneself including organization of thoughts. Stress in any form can also make it difficult for children to recall concepts thereby leading to poor academic performance. It is therefore imperative that schools work closely with pediatricians to understand the underlying causes behind poor results. This will not only help them address the factors on time but also manage the situation as per the child’s needs.”

Pediatricians may also screen for exposures to environmental toxins such as lead and counsel families about safety measures such as wearing bicycle helmets to prevent traumatic head injury.

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, “Once a comprehensive evaluation has been undertaken, appropriate referrals for psychological and educational evaluations can be given. This will help address conditions such as neuro developmental and language disorders, learning and intellectual disabilities, or emotional health issues that may be hindering academic improvement in children.”

A detailed Continued Medical Education (CME) Module on related topics can be accessed at https://www.medtalks.in/CME.

Some tips for better academic performance in children
Kids should not be compared: it can lead to anger or depression in the child.
One should unconditionally appreciate whatever the child has achieved.
One should avoid giving false promises for example if you come first, you will get a bike”. When that happens, “You are not yet 18 – so you can’t get a license. This time, settle for a bicycle and later we’ll get that bike”. Broken promises hurt the child.

Avoid anger chain, for example, the father unleashes his anger on the mother (because she does not answer back), and she takes it out on the child (because of the same reason). And the child takes it out on books or studies or younger sibling or hired help at home.

Do not force your expectations on the child, for example, you should only become a doctor.
Avoid giving the child two conflicting messages like mother asks child to study and father says – “do not force him”.

Make your child exercise daily and learn pranayama and meditation.
Provide your child with balanced and nutritious diet. Avoid overeating or long hunger periods. Restrict caffeine, give more water.

Ensure adequate sleep with a consistent schedule to improve concentration, memory and mood, it also reduces irritability.

-Ends -

About MedTalks
Medtalks is the leading Indian platform for medical webinars making the latest research more accessible to doctors via live and recorded webinars updated weekly. Medtalks uses an advanced search feature that allows doctors to find and discover relevant content using hash tags and predictive search features. Setting your preferences will allow the system to suggest new content related to you better. The medical content provided through MedTalks are given by Doctors specialized in their fields.

Address:
Medtalks
E-219, Basement, Greater Kailash 1,
New Delhi NCR -110048 India

https://www.facebook.com/Medtalks-1588563944574035/
https://twitter.com/medtalksin
https://plus.google.com/117889156118896478289
https://in.pinterest.com/medtalksin/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/medtalks-healthcare/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJigKBjNneO7p8xvHLrGRCg
-- END ---
Share Facebook Twitter
Print Friendly and PDF DisclaimerReport Abuse
Contact Email [email protected]
Issued By Medtalks
Business Address E-219, Basement, Greater Kailash 1,
New Delhi NCR -110048 India
Country India
Categories Blogging , Fitness , Health
Tags continued medical education cme , dr k k aggrawal , medtalks
Last Updated October 31, 2019