Health, Behavioral, AND FAMILY Resources

Few areas raise more concern among parents than their child's behavior. Pediatricians are often asked how to respond to "behavior problems", but the best approach is not always clear-cut. The many professionals that deal with children often do not agree on this matter, and in fact there are are several approaches that seem to work.

Parents frequently have difficulty telling the difference between variations in normal behavior and behavioral problems, because what is normal is often dependent on a child's level of development. Children of the same age often vary in their level of development. Additionally, a child's development can be uneven so that a child's social, physical, and intellectual development may not all be at the same level. Finally, each one of us has different behavior expectations for our children based on our own family, cultural, and social values.

These resources and links provide a reasonable approach to problems. For some families, this information may be all that is needed. Others may want to make an appointment to discuss the problem further. In a few instances, we may refer you to a child behavioral specialist.

Common problems are listed below. Many more are covered in the Medical Library section, divided into topics, of the Symptom Checker. If you can’t find a topic by searching within the Medical Library please call the office during regular business hours and a nurse will assist you.

• Bedwetting
• Discipline
• Divorce and children
• Sibling relationships
• Sleep problems
• Talking with your teen
• Teaching Good Behavior
• Temper Tantrums
• Thumbs Fingers and Pacifiers
• Toilet training

Family Resources

Community Resources

• Adoptive Family Support Network
• Family Futures Connections
• MiCHILD
• Medicaid Application Kent County
• 211 United Way
• Domestic Violence Support Crisis

Lactation and Medications

• Mother to Baby

Presciption Assistance

• Michigan Drug Prices
• GoodRx

Smoking Cessation

• Smokefree.gov
• Guide for Quitting Smoking

Special Needs

• Down Syndrome Association of West MI
• Muscular Dystrophy Association

Transportation

• Meridian Health Plan of Michigan: 888-821-9369
• Go Bus

  Child Care

• Great Start to Quality

Medical/Health Information Links

In addition to The Handbook of Childhood Illnesses other helpful resources include:

• www.healthychildren.org–Provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics, this site provides sections devoted to parenting issues, and children's health for all developmental stages. You can search for information by specific topics or by the age of your child.
• www.medlineplus.gov—A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, this site provides links to numerous articles related to pediatric health issues, as well as an extensive medical encyclopedia.
• www.kidshealth.org—Created by The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, this site provides family with jargon-free health information for kids, teens, and parents. Physicians and other health experts review all content before it is posted.

The information on this website is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a health care professional.