Is your child getting into those exciting double digit years?
Well child visits start looking a little different for our preteen and teenage patients, so here’s an overview of what to expect.
11-12 year old well visits
All preteens will receive an iPad to complete a mental health questionnaire. We encourage parents and their children to fill it out together, especially the first time as kids often have questions about what is being asked. The questionnaire does ask about suicidal thoughts which can be upsetting for some young adolescents, but it is an important part of assessing mental health. We will be a voice of reassurance if your tween has questions!
13+ year old well visits
Once your child is a teenager, we offer to have the parent/guardian wait in the waiting room while the teen is roomed. The teenager will receive an ipad to complete their mental health questionnaire. Your child’s pediatrician will then start the visit 1-on-1 with your teen. We do this because we want young teens to learn how to engage with medical care so that when they are ready to leave the nest, they have had lots of practice explaining symptoms or concerns. We also want our patients to know that we are their doctor – and that this is a safe space for them to share any questions or concerns that they have. However, we absolutely recognize the importance of parents’ relationship with their teen and the need to have parents involved in their care. Thus, once your doctor finishes talking with your child, they will bring you back into the room to review everything that was talked about, show you those awesome growth charts, and go over any questions you may have.
Our approach to adolescent confidentiality and consent
Sometimes there are things that your teen may discuss with their doctor that they ask us not to share with their parent/guardian. We know this can feel scary as a parent, but remember that it’s a good thing if they are willing to talk to us! We will ALWAYS encourage your teen to involve you in their care, but it’s important to know that there are state laws that govern adolescent consent that we are legally obliged to follow:
- Minors of any age can consent to contraception/birth control
- Minors of any age can consent to the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV
- Minors 15 years or older can consent to mental health treatment
If a situation arises where your child informs us of something that in our best judgement puts them or others in imminent harm/danger, then we will ALWAYS inform the parent/guardian to ensure their child’s safety.
A few other notes:
⁃ It is fine to send your driving teenager to the visit on their own, but just know that until they are 18 they cannot consent to vaccines independently. We will either need to contact you during the visit or you can call ahead and give our office staff consent for specific vaccines. This also goes if a patient is brought by another relative or sibling – we will still need parent/guardian consent for vaccines.
⁃ Once adolescents turn 18, they are considered legal adults. We cannot legally give out any patient information to parents/guardians at that point, unless the patient has given us a signed consent form to release information to specified individuals.
We know that the transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood can at times be overwhelming for everyone. We are here to facilitate the best open communication we can – between us and your child, as well as between you and your child. We are honored to be your partner in supporting your child through the wins and challenges of growing up, and you (and your teen) can always reach out to us.