Having children is a wonderful and life-changing experience. But more important, it is also a dramatic change in your responsibilities. As a parent, you become suddenly responsible for the well-being of someone else than you. It is a completely new experience, that requires not only a lot of common sense and practical knowledge – you need to know how to care for the classic boo-boos of your childhood and how to clean small wounds – as well as an instinctive wisdom of what could be wrong even though your child hasn’t complained yet. It’s not about becoming a professional hypochondriac who can’t go anywhere without a first aid bag. It’s about understanding that children may not have a concept of health issues. While they know what pain feels like, they may not be able to recognise troubles that occur painlessly. Besides, not every pain is synonymous with danger. So you need to be attentive to the hidden signs.
Do They Fall A Lot?
Children fall a lot, especially as they learn to walk and run. It’s normal and expected. After all, walking is a big change for someone who’s been lying down and sitting for a year of their life. But it can become more problematic when you are dealing with young children, say from three-year-old onwards, who keep on falling. It might be a sign that they have troubles keeping their balance under control. As the balance is directly linked to the inner ear canal, it’s the kind of things that you will need to check with an ear doctor appointment to make sure that your child can receive sufficient help. It is also likely that the doctor will perform a hearing test too, to help determine whether the balance troubles are connected to a degradation of the full ear or whether it is only related to the ear canal.
Do They Sit Close To The TV To See?
Kids like to sit in front of the TV. Why wouldn’t they? Sitting on the carpet and playing on the floor is the most exciting thing a child can do while they are watching their favourite cartoon show. But, are they sitting that close for another reason? Could it be that they can’t see the TV properly unless they are at a very short distance from it? Short-sightedness and astigmatism can develop in young childhood and in pre puberty too. Just because you and your partner have perfect eyesight, doesn’t mean that your child will. Similarly, if you wear glasses, it doesn’t mean that your child will need to. But to be on the safe side, you should ask for a routine test from your GP or from an eye specialist to spot early problems because they become a handicap. In some rare cases, your child might develop a cataract, which is a cloudy patch that forms on the lens of the eye. You can spot these easily as they are visible to external observant. They affect your child's vision dramatically.
Are They Just Shy?
Children are sometimes shy. It can be part of their personality, and it isn’t the sign of a serious handicap. But there are certain types of behaviour that can be the result of other disorders. Mild autism, for instance, is not perceived as a strong form of autism but can show mild symptoms of a social handicap. It can be used to describe a child who has advanced communication skills, or even school abilities but who might have difficulties making friends. Social skills are indeed part of the autism scale. So if you notice that your child is finding some of the social settings at school challenging, or is having difficulties dealing with simple things such as the sound of the vacuum cleaner, you may want to run a diagnostic with your GP or consider behavioural therapy.
Be Attentive To Every Complaint
Last, but not least, you need to remain attentive to every complaint. Some complaints will be less vocal than others, such as sitting very close to the TV to see clearly. Others will be vocal. When a child complains of pain, you need to take it seriously until you can establish the cause of the pain. Is it a bump on the leg when he or she fell in the garden earlier? Or is it an abnormal growth on their body? It’s a sad truth, but childhood is a period of harm and tears. Children fall and knock themselves as they play. So, you’ll often be hearing about bruises and pain. But it doesn’t mean that you should lower your guard and turn a blind eye to their complaints.
