Melbourne Paediatrician

ASTHMA

Did you know that around 1 in 5 Australian children have asthma. It is one of the most common reasons that children visit doctors, miss days at school or have to go to hospital.

Asthma is a disease affecting the small airways in the lungs, making it sometimes hard for air to get through these airways and into the lungs.

An ASTHMA FLARE-UP is where people might wheeze, cough, feel tight in the chest and have mild breathlessness. An ASTHMA ATTACK is where people might also have severe difficulty breathing or go blue in the lips.

When to take your child to your GP:
- Your child has a wheeze, a cough or chest tightness that keeps coming back or gets worse, particularly when they exercise
- Your child has difficulty breathing, which makes it hard for them to exercise or play as usual, or to keep up with other children
- Your child isn't sleeping well because of wheezing or coughing

Your GP may be able to diagnose asthma during consultation of how severe your child's symptoms are and how often your child has them. They'll also look at your child's medical history and examine your child.

If your child has asthma, your GP should provide you with an asthma management plan so you are prepared on how to best manage your child's asthma.

Your GP should be able to manage your child's asthma, but can always refer to our Paediatricians for further support when necessary. If you would like to make an appointment to discuss your child's asthma, please call our rooms on 9468 0490.

- Melbourne Paediatrician

WHY CHILDREN AND SIBLINGS FIGHT

Disagreements among children are very common - they're apart of learning how to get along. Children are still learning to control their emotions, so this isn't unusual. Children's fights often start when children see a situation as unfair, are trying to assert what they think are their rights, feel that others don't see their perspective, or view the same situation in different ways. The closer siblings are in age, the more they tend to fight.

When disagreements lead to fighting, it can be an opportunity for children to learn other ways to resolve conflict, particularly if they learn that fighting doesn't get them what they want. When disagreements among children get worked out fairly and without anyone getting hurt, children start to build problem-solving skills like negotiating. They also learn the importance of seeing another person's point of view and respecting other people's rights, feelings and belongings.

The way children handle conflict and disagreements is partly determined by their ages and skill levels.

Children aged 3-4 years are:
- Starting to cooperate, share and take turns
- Still learning about their emotions
- Likely to need support, reminders and positive feedback

Children aged 5-7 years are:
- Improving skills like sharing, taking turns, compromising and talking through options
- Much better at sorting out problems without needing adult help, although they still need encouragement

Children aged 8-12 years:
- May have more verbal disagreements and fights but tend to be less physical than younger children
- Are becoming much more social and want to get along with other children in groups

Children aren't born knowing how to handle disagreements, but all children can learn how to behave so that fighting is less likely to happen.

- Melbourne Paediatrician

HOUSEHOLD CHORES FOR YOUR CHILDREN

Not only does giving your child chores help you, children can learn a lot from doing household chores. Studies have shown that providing children with tasks to complete early on will help create a solid work ethic while developing responsibility, self-reliance, and other vital life skills.

It is important to assign chores that are appropriate to your child's age and abilities.
Examples of these include:
2-3 YEARS OLD
- Help to tidy up toys after playtime
- Help to put laundry in the washing machine
4-5 YEARS OLD
- Set the table for meals
- Help to put the grocery shopping away
6-11 YEARS OLD
- Feed pets
- Take out rubbish
- Empty the dishwasher
- Help to hang out clothes and fold washing
12-18 YEARS
When choosing chores for teenagers, think of skills you'd like them to learn..
- Mow lawns
- Cook a simple family meal once a week
- Laundry
- Clean the bathroom
- Stack the dishwasher

Children are capable of accomplishing much more than parents might think. There are many benefits to giving children chores, and it also makes life a lot easier for parents!

- Melbourne Paediatrician

BREATH-HOLDING SPELLS

Breath-holding usually happens in children as young as 6 months old, but is most common in children aged 1-2 years old and most will stop doing it by the time they're 6 years old.
Breath-holding spells usually end within 30-60 seconds, however in some cases children will hold their breath until they lose consciousness. When this happens, the body automatically kick-starts breathing again.

What to do during breath-holding spells:
- Stay calm, it is likely to pass within a minute
- Lay your child on their side and watch over them until the spell ends
- Do not shake your baby or child, this won't stop the breath-holding!!
- Don't put anything in your child's mouth, not even your fingers to clean the airway.

It is important to know that your child is not holding their breath on purpose and to not punish them for it.

When should you see a Doctor about breath-holding?
- Your child is younger than 6 months
- Your child has breath-holding spells more than once a week (this may be due to an underlying health concern)
- Suddenly starts breath-holding
- Looks confused or drowsy after breath-holding
- Becomes very pale or loses consciousness
- Has shaking and stiffness that lasts for longer than a minute and takes a while to recover from

Please contact your GP if any of the above has raised concerns or call our rooms for an appointment with our Paediatricians, on 9468 0490.

-Melbourne Paediatrician

ALLERGIES AND SKIN PRICK TESTING

An allergy is when your immune system becomes triggered and reacts to substances (allergens) that are harmless for most people.
Different allergen triggers include:
- Medicines
- Substances in our environment (pollens, grass)
- Foods (eggs, nuts, seafood)

Most allergic reactions are mild and usually occur immediately after you have been exposed to a trigger, with symptoms including:
- runny nose and watery eyes
- abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting
- skin rash
But some people experience a severe reaction called Anaphylaxis, causing difficulty breathing and low blood pressure, which requires urgent medical attention.

We are able to identify allergies through a consult with our Paediatricians and skin prick testing.
During a skin prick test, a tiny amount of the allergen of concern will be dropped onto the skin of your child's back or arm. A small needle is then used to expose your child's body to the allergen. Reactions show through as red, swollen and itchy around the allergen site exposed. Your Paediatrician will measure the area of redness and swelling and record this measurement. Together with your medical history, it allows our Paediatricians to identify if you are allergic to this allergen and give you a diagnosis. (Any swelling or itchiness will usually improve within 2 hours.)

If you think your child may have an allergy that needs testing, please contact our office on 9468 0490 for more information about allergy testing and available appointments.

INTRODUCING Dr James Pho to Melbourne Paediatricians. James has been working with us since April and has been a great addition to our clinic.

Dr James Pho is a General Paediatrician who is passionate about providing care to babies, children, and their families. He is comfortable diagnosing and managing a broad range of issues including:
• Newborn and Baby Concerns
• Feeding Problems and Growth
• Asthma, Eczema, Allergy
• Childhood Development and Behaviour
• Surveillance of Chronic Conditions

James was Melbourne born and raised before completing the first half of his specialist training in Sydney at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. With the birth of his daughter, he moved back home to Melbourne to complete his speciality training and to be closer to his extended family.

Outside of work, James is an avid Bombers fan, a golf enthusiast (time permitting) and enjoys spending quality time with his young family.

GETTING DRESSED

Learning to get dressed builds your child's confidence and independence and gives them a sense of achievement. Not to mention, it's one less thing for you to do once they get the hang of it!

It also has the benefit of helping your child develop many other skills, like:

* FINE MOTOR SKILLS*
For example, by fastening buttons and zips
*GROSS MOTOR SKILLS*
For example, by standing on one leg to pull on a pair of pants
*COGNITIVE SKILLS*
For example, by remembering which clothes go on first and concentrating on getting the task done
*LANGUAGE SKILLS*
For example, by naming types of clothes, colours and sizes
*AWARENESS OF TIME AND SPACE*
For example, by dressing for certain occasions and weather conditions

Getting dressed is something we as adults do without much thought, but it is a great skill for children to learn and involves many extra skills that are always developing.

You might start to hear some new voices over the next coming weeks.. please be patient with us as we begin to teach any new admin the ropes of our clinic.

And with that being said, it's bittersweet that I say that I (Mollie) will be leaving Melbourne Paediatrician in 6 weeks time. I have absolutely loved working here for the past 4 years and getting to know you all and watch on as your kids grow (physically and emotionally). As sad as I am to be leaving, I'm also excited to start my nursing career and see where this new adventure takes me! You never know, I might end up in Paediatrics and see your friendly faces along the way at some point...

Once our new admin team are finalised, we will be sure to introduce them to you!

MEET THE REST OF THE TEAM: MOLLIE

Mollie made the move over to the Consulting Suite building with us in 2019 to expand Melbourne Paediatrician’s and had originally worked at Northpark Consulting Suites for 2-3 years prior to that – so is a familiar face to most. Mollie enjoys making appointments a more personal experience and will quite often have fun games organised around the room and will engage with parents and children while they are waiting for their appointments. Life for Mollie outside of the Melbourne Paediatrician team consists of studying for her Nursing degree, playing local AFL, playing with her dog, or travelling - with the picture attached from her visit to Malaysia.

* PLEASE NOTE WHEN ATTENDING YOUR APPOINTMENT *

We understand kids are always hungry and we have always been happy to have our patients eat in our reception area, however please ensure you aren't eating anything that contains common food allergens (especially nuts). It's important to be aware that we do allergy testing at our clinic and the next patient after you may be anaphylactic to what you're bringing into our rooms! Let's help keep our waiting room a safe place for all and be mindful of what you might be leaving behind for the next person.

-Melbourne Paediatrician

NEURODIVERSITY CELEBRATION WEEK - MARCH 21-27 2022
It's Neurodiversity Celebration Week, so let's see just how common it is in Australia to be Neurodiverse!

- ADHD
Estimated that 1 in 20 children in Australia have ADHD.
Those with ADHD find it hard to concentrate and may become hyperactive. It affects the brain’s executive functioning, meaning the ability to self-regulate and control thoughts, words, actions and emotions.

- AUTISM
Estimated that 1 in 70 children are on the autism spectrum.
The main features of autism are difficulty with social interactions and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests.

- DYSLEXIA
Estimated that 1 in 10 children have dyslexia.
Those with dyslexia find it difficult to ‘decode’ letters and words, making it challenging for them to process language.

- DYSPRAXIA
Estimated to affect 2 children in every Australian classroom.
Dyspraxia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of movement and coordination, where messages sent from the brain to the muscles are interrupted. In childhood it is shown when children do not develop the moto skills that are expected for their age. Some may be able to grow out of this, but the majority will continue to experience movement difficulty as adolescents and adults.

- DYSCALCULIA
Those with Dyscalculia have difficulties with maths, including weaknesses in understanding the meaning of numbers, and difficulty applying mathematical principles to solve problems.

- DYSGRAPHIA
Those with Dysgraphia have trouble with written expression.

- TOURETTE
Estimated to affect 1 in 100 Australian children.
Those with Tourette’s will experience repetitive involuntary movements and sounds.

Were you surprised with any of the above numbers?
-Melbourne Paediatrician

Parenting autistic kids One in 70 people in Australia is autistic, so chances are you've had an experience with Autism. As a spectrum, it's not a straight line — and no two children with Autism have the same characteristics. Autistic music therapist Allison Davies tells Maggie Dent the world can be challenging for autist...

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY is just around the corner..
Do you know how you can be influencing your children to better understand gender equality and that girls/women deserve everyone's respect? READ BELOW TO FIND OUT HOW -

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY – HOW YOU CAN HELP TO RAISE CHILDREN TO UNDERSTAND GENDER EQUALITY AND THAT GIRLS AND WOMEN DESERVE RESPECT

As a parent, you play a vital role in helping your children develop respectful attitudes as you are their most important role model. Although children take in beliefs and attitudes from the world around them, what you do and say guides your child’s behaviour, attitudes, and beliefs in the short and long term. This means that talking to your child about respectful relationships and attitudes towards women and girls from an early age can help shape your child’s attitudes and behaviour throughout life.

TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT GENDER EQUALITY –
Gender equality means that girls, boys, men, and women deserve the same opportunities and treatment. Here are some everyday ways that you can help your child understand the idea of gender equality:

- Don’t tolerate sexist jokes from friends or family members. A sexist joke is a statement or story that tries to make people laugh by putting women down or suggesting that women aren’t as smart or good as men. If someone makes a joke like this in front of your child, it’s okay to call it out.

- Teach your child that everyone can do and be what they want to be. Point out examples of men and women in ‘non-traditional’ roles and activities. Examples might be women playing cricket, rugby, and AFL, and men working in midwifery or childcare.

- Avoid gendered roles in your family relationships and domestic chores. This helps your children learn that they don’t have to do things just because they’re girls or boys. For example, if you live in a different-sex relationship, make sure your children see both of you cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, mowing the lawns, taking the rubbish out, changing nappies and so on.

- Tune in to the way your child and other people talk about girls and women. For example, saying that someone ‘runs like a girl’ or is ‘strong for a girl’ is disrespectful because it suggests that girls aren’t physically strong and skilled.

- Be aware of your own language and avoid saying things like ‘Don’t act like a girl’ or ‘man up’ to boys. These statements reinforce unhelpful messages about how boys and girls should feel and behave.

As parents it starts with you to lead as example and create the change for women.

So, here is to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.

With school having started back, do you know the common signs to look for that your child is struggling and might have a learning disability? READ BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE:

LEARNING DISABILITIES
Learning disability is a serious and ongoing difficulty in specific areas of achievement such as reading, writing, spelling, or maths. In Australia, up to 1 in every 10 people have a learning disability! Learning disabilities must be assessed and diagnosed by professionals – if you think your child may have a learning disability it is important to get early intervention as soon as possible to provide them with the further support they need.
Some common signs that someone may have a learning disability:
- Your child dislikes reading and/or finds reading hard
- Your child finds it hard to spell
- Your child has messy handwriting
- Your child can understand and talk about things, but is unable to write about them
- Your child has trouble rhyming or hearing sounds in words
- Your child is not confident about their schoolwork

What to do if you think the above criteria sounds like your child?
Firstly we recommend speaking with your child’s teacher; asking questions about whether they are progressing as expected with reading, writing and maths.

There could also be a possibility that the problem is your child’s eyesight and hearing, so a GP appointment would be suitable to rule this out.

If you are still worried you can ask the school to do a formal assessment.

The last step we recommend is coming to see us (or any Paediatrician) for further diagnosis and support. If you would like to contact us further about this please either call our main rooms on 9468 0490 or email us at [email protected]

When you next visit, make sure you check out our new books we have added to our rooms, kindly donated by children that live in Mollie's street.
There is something for everyone, ranging from 'Thomas and friends' to 'Girls don't fart' to 'let's learn opposites'.
We hope you get to enjoy them while in the waiting room, as much as they were enjoyed before coming here!!

This week will be Theresa's last week working with us here at Melbourne Paediatrician. Although we are sad to see her go, we can't wait to see her flourish in full time work now that she has finished her university degree. We wish you all the best Theresa and thank you for all your hard work over the past three years.

-Melbourne Paediatrician

MEET THE REST OF THE TEAM: THERESA

Theresa has been with us since 2019 and is a familiar face for our weekend patients, as she works our Saturday appointments. Theresa is bilingual, speaking Vietnamese and English which is very useful for our Vietnamese patients who see Dr Tran. Outside of Melbourne Paediatrician, Theresa is studying an Information Systems degree. You can find Theresa enjoying time with family and friends, leading a youth group, exploring different food places and travelling in her spare time.

CHRISTMAS HOURS

Please note that our office will be shut from the 17th of DECEMBER until the 17th of JANUARY, while our staff enjoy their much deserved Christmas break. Between this time, our admin staff will be coming in and out of the office to answer voicemails and emails - but please be patient with us as the office won't be manned as often as usual.

If you are overly concerned about the welfare of your child, please call 000 or present to emergency.

During this time, to contact us please leave a voicemail at 9468 0490 - please only leave one voicemail. You are also welcome to email us at: [email protected]

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas, celebrating with friends and family.
-Melbourne Paediatrician

COVID19 CLINIC UPDATE:
We are happy to announce the decision to begin easing our telehealth appointments and resume majority face to face consultations again.
For this to run effectively and to best keep our most vulnerable as safe as possible, we ask that:
- You don't attend a face to face consultation if you or anyone in your family is unwell with any flu like symptoms
- You don't attend a face to face consultation if you have been in contact with anyone that has or is suspected to have COVID19
- You don't attend a face to face consultation if you have been to a top Tier exposure site and have been advised to isolate
- When attending your appointment, anyone 12 years and older are required to wear a mask. Please wear your mask correctly and OVER your nose. Having your mask at your chin or under your nose defeats the purpose of wearing one at all.

Our admin staff will still contact you a week prior to remind and confirm your upcoming appointment, and we will then confirm there are no flu like symptoms at that stage too. If any symptoms occur between that phone call and the date of your appointment, please contact us to reschedule or arrange a telehealth instead.

As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact our rooms on 9468 0490 or [email protected]

We can't wait to see you all again!
-Melbourne Paediatrician