The teenage years bring a lot of change—physically, emotionally and socially. Pediatric care changes too.
At Sylacauga Pediatrics and Summit Pediatrics, adolescent care is designed to support teens as they become more involved in understanding and managing their own health while families continue to have an important role in their care.
From routine teen wellness visits and adolescent physicals to chronic-condition follow-up, school and sports needs, and conversations about emotional well-being, our pediatric team is here to support your teen through the transition toward adulthood.
Support Through Adolescence
Physical, emotional and ongoing health needs in one familiar place.
Adolescents are becoming more independent, making more of their own choices and learning how to take responsibility for their health. Pediatric visits during these years still include parents and families, but teens can gradually become more involved in conversations about their health history, medications, symptoms, lifestyle and questions.
Preventive pediatric guidance extends throughout adolescence. The AAP’s Bright Futures framework covers preventive care through age 21 and emphasizes continuity of care as children progress toward adulthood.
Our goal is to provide a familiar medical home where teens can ask questions, families can raise concerns and your pediatric team can continue following health and development over time.
Teens can begin learning how to describe symptoms, ask questions and understand their own health history.
Regular visits continue to focus on prevention, screening and overall wellness.
Parents and caregivers remain an important part of helping adolescents develop healthy habits and navigate healthcare.
Over time, pediatric care can help teens become more confident managing their own health.
Regular preventive visits continue to matter during adolescence. Bright Futures provides age-based recommendations for health supervision, assessments and screenings throughout the teen years. The exact visit is individualized based on age, health history and identified concerns.
Your provider can follow growth, physical development and other age-appropriate health measures over time.
Adolescent visits provide an opportunity to review vaccine history and discuss current age-appropriate recommendations.
Mental and behavioral health are important parts of adolescent health and may be discussed or screened for when appropriate.
School performance, sports, activities and other parts of daily life may provide useful insight into overall health.
Visits can create space to discuss sleep, nutrition, physical activity and other habits that affect teen health.
Teens and parents both have an opportunity to raise new symptoms, health concerns or questions.
As children become teenagers, pediatric visits provide opportunities to become more involved in their own healthcare.
That may start with answering questions directly, describing symptoms in their own words, or learning what medications they take. Over time, teens can build the confidence to ask questions, understand ongoing health conditions, and participate in decisions about their care.
Teen years often come with new forms, sports requirements and physical examinations. If your teen needs a school or youth sports physical, bring the forms provided by the school or athletic organization and any relevant health information.
Jobs, camps, extracurricular activities and other programs may have their own health or documentation requirements. Bring any forms or instructions you were given so your pediatric office can determine what information or evaluation is needed.
Older adolescents may need physicals, immunization documentation, medication planning or other health records as they prepare for college. This is also a good time for teens to begin understanding how to manage prescriptions, recognize their own medical history and know how to access healthcare when away from home.
For teens living with asthma, ADHD, allergies or other ongoing health conditions, adolescence adds another important goal: helping the teen understand and participate in managing the condition.
Follow-up visits can provide an opportunity to review symptoms, medications, treatment plans and how a condition is affecting school, sports, sleep or everyday activities.
As teens become more independent, they can gradually learn:
Understanding the name and basics of their health condition.
Knowing medications, devices or treatments they use.
Learning which symptoms or changes should be discussed with their healthcare provider.
Building confidence communicating with healthcare professionals.
Adolescence can bring changes in mood, stress, relationships, responsibilities, school pressures and sleep.
Emotional and behavioral health are part of overall adolescent health—not something completely separate from pediatric care. Regular preventive visits give teens and families opportunities to discuss concerns and allow clinicians to consider recommended behavioral and mental-health screening based on age and individual circumstances.
Parents should feel comfortable bringing up changes they have noticed, and teens should know that health questions do not have to be limited to physical symptoms.
You do not need to know exactly what is causing a concern before discussing it with your pediatrician.
As children enter adolescence, pediatric visits may begin to include more direct conversations between the teen and their healthcare provider.
Parents and caregivers remain important partners in their child’s health. At the same time, giving teenagers age-appropriate opportunities to ask questions and discuss concerns can help them become more comfortable participating in their own care.
Depending on the circumstances, part of an adolescent visit may involve a private conversation with the healthcare provider. Confidentiality and parental access to health information are governed by applicable law and practice policy, and certain safety concerns may require information to be shared.
Families are encouraged to ask their pediatric provider what to expect during adolescent visits and how privacy is handled.
As teenagers approach adulthood, it’s helpful to begin planning when and how they’ll transition from pediatric care to an adult healthcare provider.
The timing depends on the patient’s needs and the pediatric practice’s age policies. During the transition, teens can begin learning how to manage appointments, prescriptions, medical records, and ongoing health conditions.
For adolescents with asthma, ADHD, or other chronic conditions, planning ahead is especially important to help maintain continuity of care.
Talk with our pediatric team about when to begin preparing for this transition and what information may be needed when establishing care with an adult provider.
Being able to explain important diagnoses, allergies, surgeries and past medical issues.
Understanding which medications they take and why.
Becoming comfortable communicating directly with healthcare providers.
Learning about appointments, prescriptions, insurance information and how to seek care.
Teen visits become even more useful when families arrive with the health information and questions they want to discuss.
If your teen is beginning to take a more active role in their healthcare, encourage them to think of a few questions of their own before the visit.
Encourage your teen to know the names of their medications, allergies and important medical conditions when they are developmentally ready.
Yes. Preventive pediatric care continues throughout adolescence. The AAP Bright Futures framework includes recommended preventive health supervision, assessments and screenings through age 21.
The exact visit depends on the teen’s age, history and individual needs. Preventive adolescent care may include a health history, physical examination, immunization review, recommended screenings and conversations about physical, emotional and behavioral health.
They can overlap, but the purposes are different. A wellness visit is comprehensive preventive healthcare, while a sports physical focuses specifically on health issues relevant to athletic participation.
Adolescent visits often include opportunities for the teen to communicate directly with the healthcare provider. How private portions of visits are handled depends on applicable law and the practice’s policy, which your pediatric team can explain.
Confidentiality for adolescents has limits and depends on applicable law, the type of care involved, safety considerations and practice policy. Your pediatric provider can explain what information may remain private and when information may need to be shared.
Yes. Mental and behavioral health are part of adolescent healthcare, and regular preventive visits are opportunities to raise concerns and consider appropriate screening or follow-up.
Ongoing pediatric care can include follow-up for conditions such as asthma and ADHD. Your child’s provider can explain the care plan and whether additional specialty support is appropriate.
Transition should be planned rather than based on one universal birthday. Pediatric practices may have their own age policies, and transition timing can depend on the individual patient and healthcare needs. AAP guidance recommends preparing adolescents for this transition before the actual transfer occurs.
Adolescent visits may include opportunities for teenagers to speak directly or privately with their healthcare provider. Privacy and confidentiality depend on applicable law, the practice's policies, and the circumstances of the visit. Ask your provider what to expect and how parents remain involved.
The appropriate age varies depending on the pediatric practice and the patient's individual needs. Starting the conversation during adolescence allows time to prepare medical records, understand ongoing treatment needs, and plan for continued care with an adult healthcare provider.
Adolescence is a good time to begin learning:
From preventive visits and physicals to chronic conditions and new health concerns, our pediatric team is here to support your teen through the years of change ahead.
With offices in Sylacauga, Chelsea, and Birmingham’s Valleydale area, families can choose the pediatric office most convenient for them. Select a location below to call, get directions, or view complete office information.
115 West Clay Street
Sylacauga, Alabama 35150
134 Foothills Parkway
Chelsea, Alabama 35043
1200 Providence Park, Suite 100
Birmingham, Alabama 35242
Providing compassionate comprehensive pediatric care for infants, children, and adolescents at three convenient locations in Alabama.
115 West Clay Street
Sylacauga, Alabama 35150
Mon – Thu: 8:00AM – 5:00pm
Fri: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Mon – Thu: 9:00AM – 4:00pm
Fri: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Mon – Fri: 9:00am – 4:00pm
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