We've got to educate parents and educate children, about not just immunizations and growth charts, but about smoking, drugs, alcohol, car seats, helmets, sexually transmitted diseases, smoke detectors in the home. Part of that educational process involves teaching children at a young age to be active participants in their health care. One of the biggest reasons for doing this is to prepare them for their older ages, when I really don't want the parent to be involved in the conversation at all. By the age of 12 or 13, sometimes earlier depending on the child, Lewy prefers to see his patients without a parent in the exam room. Seeing children alone allows Lewy to gauge their basic personality, poise, and interactive skills, all critically important developmental issues.
Parents are quick to interject and put a parental spin on what the child is feeling.
I ask parents to think as a child, which is very self-centeredly, to help them deal with the child's problem and not impose their own interpretation. Even the most loving, well- meaning parents can inadvertently misinterpret a child's behavior or actions. That is precisely why Lewy pays such close attention to the children themselves, asking what's bothering them, asking them to describe in detail what they're experiencing. Those techniques become especially valuable as children reach elementary and middle school age and can experience problems with academics, socialization, peer pressure and more. I have to use my medical privilege in those situations.