Is It Possible to Prevent Food Allergies?

by Susan S. Laubach, M.D. Let me start off by clarifying there are no guaranteed strategies to prevent allergies, just reduce the risk of developing them. About 20% of people in the US have at least one allergic condition: allergic rhinitis (eg “hay fever”), allergic asthma, eczema, or food allergy. If one parent has any sort of allergic […]

Nurturing Your Spousal Relationship

by Gary Holmes MS, LMFT Nurturing Deeper Levels of Intimacy with Your Spouse while Increasing Positive Feelings of Well-Being in Your Children Lasting relationships involve navigating many of life’s passages together.  From the moment a couple makes the decision to start their family to pregnancy to birth of your first child through the various developmental […]

Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing

by Stephanie Drummond, OTD, OTR/L One boy on the playground keeps away from his classmates, watching his peers climb structures and run around chasing each other. He observes what they are doing but does not initiate play with another friend or jump into the game in progress. Another girl asks her teacher to push her […]

Concussion in Children

by Alan Shahtaji, DO A concussion is an injury to the brain that can result from direct trauma to the head or indirect injury (i.e. whiplash). This is a transient process and no structural damage is seen on imaging, such as a CAT scan or MRI of the brain. A concussed child most often complains […]

“Dysgraphia” – More Than Just Sloppy Handwriting!

by Danielle Shulman OTR/L, MSOT Although our children’s exposure to technology continues to grow, handwriting remains a large part of a child’s school day. They are asked to keep written journals, complete writing assignments, and participate in art projects that involve writing descriptions. They use handwriting to write letters to their friends, parents, and teachers. Children also need legible […]

“Apophysitis”: A Common Cause of Knee Pain in Children

by Kenneth Taylor MD Knee pain is all too familiar to many adults, and is a frequent complaint of active children as well.  Children and adolescents are susceptible to knee pain during periods of rapid growth.  Muscles and tendons that are used and over-used during sports and play tend to contract and tighten while long […]

How to discuss Ebola with your children, October 2014

Coast Families, we thought that you would all appreciate this advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics: How to discuss Ebola with your children Mary McGrath, Editorial Intern, American Academy of Pediatrics If you have any exposure to news media, you’ve probably heard a lot about the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. But there […]

Building Emotional Intelligence in Your Child

by Debbie Zeichner, LCSW Raising a child who is self-aware, well adjusted and able to effectively manage his emotions ranks high on many parents priority lists these days. With recent world events involving acts of hate and violence, it behooves us to look within at our own emotional lives and the messages we are sending […]

Safety of dental X-rays

by Jacquelyn Do, DDS X-ray technology has provided immeasurable diagnostic benefits to the medical and dental community. Doctors can now identify and prevent the progression of disease at earlier stages. With the development of digital imaging technology, the amount of radiation exposure in routine dental x-rays are now considered negligible. A comparison of our daily […]

Six Gentle Tips for Getting Better Behavior from Your Child

by Debbie Zeichner, LCSW, Parent Coach & Educator One of the chief complaints I hear from parents is that their kids “don’t listen.”  Parents often report feeling “disrespected” and are “tired of yelling.”  Why is it that kids don’t listen?  How can parents end the cycle of yelling, threats, bribes and other punishment? Listening, like […]