Yesenia Mejia, PhD, is a postdoctoral scholar at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is currently a trainee with the San Diego LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and…
“Radiology,” “chemotherapy” and “dialysis” are big terms for little patients to understand, and even bigger medical experiences to go through. So, when anxiety strikes before a procedure or things get overwhelming during a hospital stay, a very special kind of health care professional is there to help calm fears, make sense of it all, and…
Even if our lives are largely fulfilling, it’s not unusual to have moments where it’s tough to feel that way — and the same goes for kids, too. However, studies show that expressing gratitude can have benefits such as supporting physical and mental well-being, boosting self-esteem, and enhancing sleep quality; all of which contribute to…
by Erin Carpenter, CCLS; Aislinn Mooney, CCLS; and Madeline Zinngrabe, CCLS It can be challenging to keep a schedule and routine at home during this uncertain time. You may see regressive or withdrawn behavior when your child is trying to adapt and manage their feelings and changes to their routine. Keeping your child’s environment structured…
Whether a woman is expecting her first baby or has welcomed multiple children into the world, her pregnancy involves many considerations, from the light — such as picking a name and plotting out the perfect nursery — to the serious — such as getting recommended care and screening for birth defects. “Even with something that…
Who doesn’t love a good night’s sleep? A solid snooze is physically and mentally restorative, and an essential part of living your healthiest life. For kids, who are on a constant developmental trajectory from the day they’re born, sleep is all the more important. However, many parents wonder how much is enough, how to help…
Each year, the Cochlear Implant Program team from the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Departments (latter team pictured) at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego witnesses dozens of profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing children experience the sounds of the world around them for the first time. Being outfitted with a cochlear implant, a surgically placed electronic device, can…
As parents, you strive to instill good values in your kids — mind your manners, be a good sport, sharing is caring. Among the most prized of these warm and fuzzy human traits is having compassion for others, but it can be tough to gauge when children are ready to grasp and grow this emotionally…