Paediatric Neurology - What to Expect On Your Visit with Us

How to book an initial appointment:

1. See your family doctor for an assessment of your child's condition.
2. Have your family doctor make a referral to our office by faxing a letter regarding your child's condition.
3. You will receive a call from our secretary with an appointment date and any necessary instructions. It is important that you keep your appointment time, however, if you are unable to make this appointment due to special circumstances, please call as soon as possible to arrange an alternate date.

Coming to your first appointment:

It is best to make preparations in advance to assure that your appointment goes smoothly.

• Bring your child's health card.
• If your child is to have tests, make sure you understand the instructions and follow them carefully
• Make written notes before you visit of questions you want to ask.
• Bring all of your child's medications (in the bottles) and the dose schedule to the appointment.
• Be prepared to give the health care professional your pharmacy's phone number.
• Bring to the attention of the health care professional any problems that have occurred related to his/her neurological condition, even if you feel they are trivial since any change in your child's status may be relevant.
• If your child has seizures, be prepared to discuss them in detail (duration, type, severity, frequency, triggers).
• Focus on one neurological concern at a time. Doing this will help both the health practitioner as well as yourself be able to discuss your child's issues in a more concise, complete way.

Here are some questions that your health care professional may ask you:

• When did your child's symptoms start?
• How have your child's symptoms changed?
• What other illnesses/conditions has your child had?
• What are your main concerns today?
• Has your child had any previous diagnostic tests (EEG, MRI, CT scan, blood work) (Please bring results and/or scans if possible)?
• Please describe your child's developmental progress.
• What is your family health history?
• What is your child's immunization status?

For children with seizures:

• What was your child doing at the time of the seizure?
• What was the exact time of day?
• What took place before the seizure?
• What called your attention to the seizure (cry out, fall, stare, head turn)?
• Did your child's body become rigid (stiff)?
• Were there neck jerks or twitches? Which part of the body moved first? Next?
• Did the breathing change?
• Did your child's eyelids flutter, or eyes roll? To which side?
• Did your child's skin show changes (flushed, clammy, blue, etc.)?
• How long did the seizure last? Time the seizures with a watch or clock. (This is difficult to remember during a seizure, but it helps the doctor)
• Could you make contact with your child during the seizure? Did s/he respond?
• What was your child's behaviour like after the seizure (alert, drowsy, confused, fearful, any memory of what happened)?
• Did your child report any unusual feelings, sensations, or perceptions that occurred before the seizure?
• If your child is taking medication, when was the last dose?