School age is a new, different, and special period in childhood. Since it is important for children to be successful and socialize during the school period, having some health checks before school also gains importance. Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Pediatrics Specialist Prof. Dr. Filiz Bakar shared detailed information with us about the controls that need to be carried out during this period.

Hearing and Vision Controls

The most important health checks that need to be performed are those for hearing and vision. Preschool children cannot yet understand whether their senses of vision and hearing are good. For example, the child may not hear well or see clearly. They may think that their hearing and vision are "normal" or at the level, they should be. They are not conscious of their actual vision and hearing level. As they are not aware of their actual vision and hearing capacity, poor hearing, or inability to see clearly enough results in delayed perception. When their vision is well enough, their reading and writing are delayed. Parents may not realize this. For this reason, it becomes essential that specialist physicians perform the child's vision and hearing checks before starting school. After the controls, if there are problems with their senses of vision or hearing, they should be treated.

Dental Checks

Another health check we recommend performing before school is periodic dental checkups. Nowadays, since children spend most of the day at school, they meet a portion of their nutritional needs at school during the day. Therefore, it becomes important to perform the child's dental health checks at regular intervals, not only before starting school but also during the school period.

Blood Tests

Blood tests can also be performed before starting school. We can recommend that the cholesterol levels of the children in the preschool age group are checked, and their blood pressure is also routinely checked. Pediatric hypertension is not an issue cared about enough in society, but it should not be forgotten that hypertension can also occur in children.

Psychological Evaluations

Some children may have behavioral disorders or hyperactivity compared to their peers. Such children must be taken to a pedagogue or pediatric psychologist before starting school. Otherwise, these children may experience more severe socialization problems when they start school. As we have mentioned before, the school period is the phase when children start socializing. During this period, when they start socializing and gradually learn to stand on their own feet, families should not engage in behaviors such as entering the classroom, sitting next to the child, or waiting for the child in the schoolyard all day.

Vaccinations That Need to Be Administered

The fact that school-age children are in such a crowded environment for the first time in their lives makes it easier for infectious diseases to spread. For this reason, it is important to repeat several vaccinations performed during infancy. The Ministry of Health administers measles, rubella, mumps, pertussis, and tetanus vaccines in the first grade of primary school. However, parents can also have them administered privately once the child reaches the age of four. The Ministry of Health does not currently vaccinate against chickenpox, but we also recommend administering this vaccine. We recommend the annual flu vaccination before starting school if the child has chronic asthma, diabetes, or heart disease. If the child does not have these diseases, it is not mandatory to get the flu vaccine.