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The Kindergarten Medical Checklist: Don't Skip The Dentist, Audiologist, Optometrist Or Pediatrician

13 April 2016 by Christy Long

If you are preparing your child for kindergarten and you aren't sure what type of medical attention they should get beforehand, you need to make a checklist. You need to make sure that your child has healthy vision, hearing, oral health, and that their body is growing on track. Here are a few of the appointments you want to schedule in advance, before your child's first days of school.

Vision Screening

It can be difficult to determine if your child has a vision problem if they don't know how to read, match or recognize a lot of detailed items yet. One in four school aged children could have a vision problem that has the potential to cause learning difficulties later on, so you'll want to do the screening before your child could start falling behind.

Hearing Testing

If your child has an issue hearing, it could affect their ability to talk, learn, socialize and comprehend. You want to know they can hear before they start school, and a screening with an audiologist is best. If your child is always turning the television up loud, their speech isn't clear, and they always seem to shout, these are strong indicators there is a problem.

Dental Examination

Every child should see a dentist when their baby teeth come in, for regular cleanings and to insure there aren't major dental problems. If your child has an orthodontic or oral developmental problem, this could cause speech disabilities, jaw pain, eye strain and more. Make sure your child is seen by a dentist before they start school, and that the school has the offices contact information in case your child experiences a dental emergency.

Physical  

When you go to a kindergarten screening at your pediatrician's office they will do some physical and cognitive tests to see if your child is on track physically. Don't skip getting your child a physical to make sure there are no coordination or developmental problems. You want their pediatrician to do this examination.

Don't delay scheduling these different examinations and screenings, so you can get problems addressed before the child starts school. There are specific professionals to attend to all your child's needs if the results of any of these screenings come back problematic. Check with the school where they will be attending to see if they have any other prerequisites or screenings that they would like the child to have before they begin. If you're looking for a pediatric dentist, visit Cobbe Dental & Orthodontics.

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