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'Brown Bear, Brown Bear...': an exam room testimonial
Lori O'Keefe
When Gonzalo J. Paz-Soldan, M.D., FAAP, entered the examination room, he gave the 2-year-old patient a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle. Immediately, the child grabbed the book and started going through the pages. When he came to the picture of the horse, he started "neighing" like a horse, got off of his mother's lap and began riding the book around the room like a horse. In those 60 seconds, Dr. Paz-Soldan had all of the developmental information he needed for that child.
Dr. Paz-Soldan said he has changed the way he practices pediatrics since he became involved with the Reach Out and Read (ROR) program nearly five years ago. He always begins his well-child check-ups by giving his young patients a book.
"Giving books to children at the beginning of a visit makes my work easier," said Dr. Paz-Soldan, who is medical director of Arlington Pediatric Center and medical director and board member for Reach Out and Read Virginia.
"I'm not adding something new to the well-child visit, which is already busy as it is," added Dr. Paz-Soldan. "Instead, the book becomes a useful tool for assessing development and providing anticipatory guidance in a fun, non-intrusive way, and it eliminates the need to go through a tedious checklist. It also sends a message to parents about the importance of reading together."
Over the years, Dr. Paz-Soldan has learned which age-appropriate books are most useful for developmental assessments. For example, Dr. Paz-Soldan likes to give 4-year-olds the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie because he can talk to them about the colors and number of crayons they see on the page on which the mouse is drawing a picture of his family.
Dr. Paz-Soldan's clinic also has a volunteer who reads to children in its literacy-rich waiting room.
"It's very gratifying to see a parent's reaction to their child's response to a book," Dr. Paz-Soldan said. "It happens on a daily basis."
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