The Medical City Holds Preschool Congress Season 7

Children love to play. Play is generally defined as the work of children. It is child-directed, enjoyable and spontaneous.

Dr. Jacqueline Navarro, director of the Center for Developmental Pediatrics (CDP) of premier health institution The Medical City (TMC), said play provides more benefits to kids, aside from enjoyment and pleasure.

"Play is important for all aspects of development such as physical, psychosocial, fine motor and language skills. In this age of digital media, children are missing out on the benefits of traditional play and other play activities that bring them outdoors, that allow them to interact with other children and explore different manipulative toys and tools," said Dr. Navarro.

For this reason, the main topic for the morning session of CDP's Preschool Congress Season 7 was conceived. The congress dubbed "Grow with the Flow: Through Good Times and Bad Times" will be held on May 26, 2018 at the Mere Marie Anne de Tilly Convention Hall in St. Paul College, Pasig City. Parents and teachers of preschoolers will surely gain more knowledge from this one-day seminar.

Play and good memories are needed for emotional strength and resilience while turning bad times into learning experiences. Bad times cannot be avoided but the CDP believes that parents and teachers should learn how to process these negative experiences.

The morning session will be about the "Power of Play." Topics include Tayoý Maglaro : The Evidence Behind Play; Come Out and Play: Translating Research into Practice, and Designing Play and Recreational Environments. The discussions aim to present the evidence on the effects of play on child development, discuss the impact of play on the child and his community, as well as how to translate play research into practice.

 "As in our previous forums, we have advocated for no digital exposure for children under two years old and controlled use for preschoolers. We have emphasized in the past the dangers of excessive digital media exposure and this is what we will be advocating in this forum," said Dr. Navarro.

The Preschool Congress which is a much-awaited annual event organized by the CDP, started in 2011.

"Through the congresses, the CDP aims to create a continuous awareness of the role parents and teachers play in the optimum development of children which includes developmental promotion and behavior management," Dr. Navarro pointed out. 

"We want our audience to learn the science behind development and behavior so they will be better equipped to support children," she added.

Aside from the topic play, the congress will also tackle behavior management in its afternoon session titled "Through Bad Times: When the Going Gets Tough." Topics include Overcoming Potty Training Obstacles, Getting Children to Eat and Sleep Right, Helping them through Bad Times, and What to do When they can't Play and Behave.  Specialists from the CDP will be the speakers and resource persons for the forum.

About the CDP

Established in 2009, the CDP is the first in the Philippines to offer routine developmental screening and surveillance for children 0 to 8 years old. This ensures that they will get all the help and guidance they need while growing up. Parents of children without any known developmental concerns may still bring their children to the center for routine screening.

Early identification of developmental disorders is important to the well-being of children and their families. Early detection is also the key to helping children develop their potential. This is why the CDP offers routine screening to identify children at risk for developmental and behavioral problems using standardized tools.

The CDP offers a complete range of services for children, from developmental screening to therapy services. The services include Developmental Screening, Feeding Difficulty Evaluation and Management, Comprehensive Developmental Evaluation and Diagnosis, Multidisciplinary Team Conference, Neuropsychological Evaluation, Therapy services (Speech and Language therapy, Occupational therapy, Physical therapy), Special Education Evaluation and Liaison, and Family Education and Support Service.

The center’s specialists and allied medical professionals provide a complete evaluation of children with developmental or behavioral needs. The diagnosis and management of children with developmental or behavioral conditions are done by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. The CDP’s therapy services are designed for children who require services such as occupational, speech and physical therapy.

For inquiries and registration, please contact The Medical City Center for Developmental Pediatrics at 9881000 or 9887000 ext. 6630.