095: Ask the American Academy of Pediatrics!

A couple of months ago, when I was interviewing listener Rose Hoberman for her Sharing Your Parenting Mojo episode, she casually mentioned after we got off air that her father in law – Dr. Benard Dreyer – is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and would I like her to make a connection?   I almost coughed up my water as I said yes, please, I very much would like her to make a connection if he would be interested in answering listener questions about the AAP’s policies and work.  Dr. Dreyer gamely agreed to chat, and in this wide-ranging conversation we cover the AAP’s stance on sleep practices, screen time, discipline, respect among physicians, and what happens when the organization reverses itself…   Jump to highlights 01:37 Introduction to Dr. Benard Dreyer, past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics 03:03 How AAP recommendations get made: choosing topics, reviewing the literature 12:44 Why the AAP revised its screen time guidelines, and what actually changed 17:43 Safe sleep recommendations: firm surface, same room, no bed sharing for six months 22:06 Why AAP sleep recommendations focus specifically on the first year 25:30 How poverty and crowding intersect with SIDS risk 29:43 The Rock 'n Play recall: why the AAP is often reacting to safety data rather than generating it 37:23 Why the AAP's organic food guidance centers on the child 44:17 How much training pediatricians actually get in child development and behavior 47:19 Why the AAP softened, then hardened, its stance against spanking over time 53:26 Advocating for a child's own agency and consent during pediatric visits   References American Academy of Pediatrics (2018, May 2). How to protect your children during a measles outbreak. HealthyChildren.org. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/How-to-Protect-Your-Children-During-A-Measles-Outbreak.aspx Burke Harris, N. (2019). Keynote speech; Virginia summit on childhood trauma and resilience. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1988933761235822&hc_location=ufi Council on Communications and Media (2016). Media and young minds. Pediatrics 138(5), 1-6. Retrieved from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/138/5/e20162591.full.pdf Forman, J., & Silverstein, J. (2012). Organic foods: Health and environmental advantages and disadvantages. Pediatrics 130(5), e1406-e1415. Retrieved from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/130/5/e1406.full.pdf Hsu, T. (2019, April 19). Before Fisher-Price’s Rock’n Play recall, safety fears and dubious marketing. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/business/fisher-price-recall.html Moon, R.Y. (2019, April 15). How to keep your sleeping baby safe: AAP policy explained. HealthyChildren.org. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/A-Parents-Guide-to-Safe-Sleep.aspx?fbclid=IwAR28XjzG1G3ERk3KhQFwnFOZuudOHiuY1Yb0gILUtB1XXoYAzUju2zfzgcY Public Health England, The Lullaby Trust, & UNICEF. Safer sleep: Saving babies lives: A guide for professionals. Authors. Retrieved from https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Safer-sleep-saving-babies-lives-a-guide-for-professionals.pdf Red Nose (2018, February 27). Sharing a sleep surface with a baby. Author. Retrieved from https://rednose.org.au/article/sharing-a-sleep-surface-with-a-baby?fbclid=IwAR2wdmhbfMGK30m4MVZvZYop3-E8ERLAiwYufPilry7uUZePX26e45iyfkg Sege, R.D., & Siegel, B.S. (2018). Effective discipline to raise healthy children. Pediatrics 142(6), 1-10. Retrieved from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/142/6/e20183112.full.pdf Sicherer, S.H. (2017, January 5). New guidelines detail use of ‘infant-safe’ peanut to prevent allergy. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved from https://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/01/05/PeanutAllergy010517 Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (2016). SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths: Updated 2016 recommendations for a safe infant sleeping environment. Pediatrics 138(5), 1-12. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/138/5/e20162938.full.pdf U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (2019, April 12). Fisher-Price recalls Rock’n Play sleepers due to reports of deaths. Author. Retrieved from https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/fisher-price-recalls-rock-n-play-sleepers-due-to-reports-of-deaths#