When your child needs medical attention, the last thing you want is to spend hours in a hospital waiting room not knowing how serious things are. It’s also disruptive, even when it turns out nothing is seriously wrong.
With telehealth, instead of heading straight to a hospital when something happens, you can speak to a doctor first and get a proper assessment of whether your child needs to be seen in person or whether you can manage things from home.
If your child took a knock to the head at school, had a fall on the playground, or you’ve noticed something that’s been worrying you, a telehealth appointment lets you get expert guidance while skipping the waiting room.
However, a telehealth call with a doctor who isn’t specifically trained in pediatric neurology is useful only up to a point. When the concern involves your child’s brain, nervous system, or neurological development, you need to speak to someone who specializes in that.
Dr. Henry Hasson is a pediatric neurologist in Brooklyn, New York, who offers telehealth consultations. You can access expert pediatric neurology care without the disruption of an in-person visit unless one is needed. And when it is needed, Dr. Hasson will ensure your child is seen promptly.
Here, he covers what telehealth pediatric neurology involves, what kinds of concerns it can address, and how the process works.
Through telehealth Dr. Hasson can evaluate your child for Autism, ADHD, seizures, developmental delays, headaches, head injuries, neuromuscular disorders, etc. These any many other neurological concerns can be fully addresses through telemedicine in the same way they are addressed at an in-person visit.
A telehealth appointment with Dr. Hasson is a real medical consultation, not a quick chat. It takes place over video, which means Dr. Hasson can see your child, observe them, ask detailed questions about their symptoms, and make an informed assessment of what’s going on and what needs to happen next. It is almost identical to the in person assessment.
Parents often underestimate how much a specialist can assess through a video consultation. A child’s responsiveness, their eye movements, how they’re holding themselves, and how they’re speaking and interacting are all things an experienced pediatric neurologist observes during a consultation, even through a screen.
Telehealth is useful when you’re unsure whether your child needs an in-person visit. If your child has had a knock to the head and seems OK, but you’re not sure what to watch for, a telehealth call gets you a proper answer.
If your child has had what might have been a seizure but has since seemed fine, a telehealth consultation with a specialist can determine how urgently they need to be seen and what needs to happen in the meantime.
If you’ve noticed something about your child’s development, behavior, or neurological function that’s been worrying you, and you want to talk it through with someone who actually knows what to look for, telehealth gives you that access without a long wait for an in-person appointment.
Telehealth is useful for a wide range of concerns, but it has limits, and a good specialist will be upfront about them. Dr. Hasson will always tell you if your child needs to be seen in person, and when that’s the case, he will ensure that they’re seen promptly.
Some situations need immediate in-person or emergency care, regardless of what might have caused them. If your child is unconscious, having a prolonged seizure, showing signs of a serious head injury, or has symptoms that suggest something acute and serious, you should go to an emergency room.
For follow-up appointments, ongoing management of a known condition, medication reviews, and discussing test results, telehealth is often just as effective as — and considerably more convenient than — an in-person visit.
Telehealth doesn’t replace in-person care when it’s needed. But, without the waiting room, the disruption, and the stress of waiting to know what’s happening, it does give parents fast, expert access to a specialist who can tell them whether their child needs in-person care.
If something has happened with your child, and you need proper guidance from someone who specializes in this area, a telehealth appointment with Dr. Hasson can give you the answers you need.
