“Reading proficiency by third grade is the most significant predictor of high school graduation and career success, yet two-thirds of US third-graders lack competent reading skills,” states an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) article published in 2014. How does this article relate to pediatrics? At the recent AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she advocates for pediatricians to encourage parents to read to their children. Clinton pointed out that an overwhelming majority of parents turn to their pediatrician for parenting advice. Pediatricians can take this opportunity to help their patients in ways beyond medical diagnoses and treatments. By encouraging caretakers to read to children, pediatricians can help increase child literacy.
Reading to children is important to their development, even during infancy. When children are read to in their infant and preschool years, they start school with better language skills and a greater interest in reading than their peers who did not have the same exposure to reading. AAP News also points out that “parents who spend time reading to their children create nurturing relationships, which is important for a child’s cognitive, language, and social-emotional development.” If pediatricians emphasize the importance of reading to children, they can help these children embark on a path to success, giving them crucial skills needed to navigate through and beyond their years in school.
Image Source: Liam Norris
Encouraging reading is not the only way pediatricians can affect the lives of their patients beyond diagnosing aching tummies and runny noses. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD has continued to increase, from 7.8% in 2003 to 11.0% in 2011. Whether this increase is from increased awareness of the disability or an actual increase in its occurrence, correct diagnosis and treatment of learning disabilities such as ADHD is crucial to a child’s academic success. By recognizing the source of a child’s difficulties with absorbing lessons or staying attentive in class, a pediatrician can indirectly help the child take the steps necessary to properly learn the material and succeed academically later on.
