THE ELEVEN YEAR VISIT

The Eleven Year Visit

At this visit, we will:

• Take your child’s height, weight, and blood pressure.
• Perform a vision test.
• Administer Tdap(tetanus, diphitheria, and acellular pertussis), MCV4, and HPV.

GUIDANCE

The Talk: Though adolescents go through puberty at different times, this is a good age to begin discussing what changes are, or are going to happen to their body. This is also a good time to talk about dating and relationships. Not about who and when they can date, but more of what makes for a healthy relationship, and knowing that saying “no” at anytime is okay.

Behavior and Emotional Well Being: Your eleven year old is more than ready to be fully involved in most family decision making and should be given the opportunity to think through problems. Of course, if they are having trouble coming up with solutions or are confused about problems at home or school, a caring adult should be available to them for consultation. Also, it is important for children this age to know that there will be rough patches, and that if they are feeling sad, depressed, nervous, hopeless, or angry they have someone to talk to. As your child’s provider, we are always available to discuss these feelings with both of you, especially if your pre-adolescent feel they are having a tough time managing these emotions or that they are affecting their overall well-being. This includes impacting their sleep, how they view themselves, performance in school, and how they interact with family and friends.

Safety: And finally, while adolescence certainly marks a change in mind and body, it also represents a change in common causes of injury. Being a stickler for seat belt safety and helmets will go a long way during this time. Also, your child should understand that intoxicated drivers endanger not only themselves and their passengers, but everyone on the road. Be sure to equip them with a few tricks or phrases to get them out of a car or other situation in which they might feel unsafe.