Is it sore or strep?

My 10-year-old daughter has a runny nose and a sore throat! The last time this happened, I did my best to help her with over-the-counter cold remedies and tea, but the problem didn’t go away until I took her to the doctor, who said she had developed strep throat several days earlier. How can I better identify the differences between a simple sore throat and strep? Should I take my daughter to the doctor right away?

Strep throat — an infection of the throat and, or tonsils caused by the streptococcal bacteria — is often the result of a condition that has similar onset symptoms, such as the common cold, laryngitis, or the flu.

The strep bacteria is responsible for nearly 40 percent of sore throats in children — meaning that 60 percent of the time, that sore throat has not been caused by strep. That “line” isn’t always easy to discern.

As you have noticed, the initial symptom of strep is often a sore throat that does not go away, despite lozenges, over-the-counter medications, tea, or any other home remedies.

A strep infection may be indicated when the child spikes a fever, loses her appetite for an extended period of time, has no energy, or develops pain in her lower abdomen. That’s when it’s time to visit your child’s pediatrician.

To determine whether a child has strep, the doctor will first perform a medical examination and look for key symptoms, which can include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, redness, swelling, and white spots on the tonsils. The doctor may then administer a rapid strep test, which provides highly accurate results in minutes.

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A throat culture (a laboratory diagnostic test to find bacterial or fungal infections in the throat) is another method to test for strep throat, and may also be necessary.

Throat cultures are still considered to be the “gold standard” of strep diagnosis, but the results of a throat culture can take 24 to 48 hours, making a rapid strep test a more ideal option in many cases, especially if your child’s symptoms are strongly indicative of strep throat.

Strep is very contagious, and can potentially cause complications. However, once it has been diagnosed — the earlier the better — it is nearly always treatable with a full course of penicillin, amoxicillin, or other common antibiotics.

So, as long as you keep your eyes peeled for the symptoms of strep, and, if necessary, contact or visit your child’s pediatrician, there’s no reason to be sore when your child complains that her throat hurts.

Enabling Devices

Enabling Devices is a family-run business that designs, manufactures and sells adapted toys and accessible devices that make life more joyful and fulfilling for children and adults living with disabilities. &nbsp; It started with a train set, a mercury switch, and a young boy whose therapist thought he couldn&rsquo;t play with toys. In 1975 our founder, Dr. Steven Kanor, walked into a room at United Cerebral Palsy/Long Island and saw a boy sitting in a wheelchair, his head resting on his shoulder. When he asked where the toys were, the OT said, &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t have the motor skills to play with toys, and he can&rsquo;t lift his head.&rdquo; But Dr. Kanor was not interested in what the boy couldn&rsquo;t do. He was interested in the boy's potential. The next morning, he was back. He&rsquo;d brought a train set, which he&rsquo;d connected to a mercury switch. The switch, the first capability switch he&rsquo;d designed, was attached to the boy&rsquo;s ear. When the boy raised his head, the switch made contact and the train ran around the tracks. After several weeks of playing with this toy, the boy was holding his head up straight, even when the train was not running. Dr. Kanor was elated. Since that day, he never stopped innovating, never stopped trying to make our products better, never stopped designing new devices. Today, our design team is just as passionate, just as creative, and just as committed to innovation as the man who founded this company. Enabling Devices is the place to find toys, devices and tools that help build more joyful, fulfilling lives. We have an extensive selection of adapted toys, capability switches, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, adapted electronics, mounts, iPad products, sensory items and products for the visually impaired. Over the years, the important constants remain. We&rsquo;re still the same small, family-run company Steven Kanor founded in 1978, with the same values of personal connection and deep product knowledge. We&rsquo;re still committed to providing caring, individualized service to each customer. And we&rsquo;re still grateful for the privilege of sharing in your journey.

Windward School

A coed, independent day school exclusively for students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, The Windward School enrolls students in grades one through nine. 98% of Windward students move on to mainstream schools after completing The Windward School's academic program. The Windward School is nationally recognized for its development of instructional programs designed specifically to help students achieve language proficiency. The School&rsquo;s academic curriculum is research-based and multisensory in nature and is designed to give students the skills they need to succeed in school and return with confidence to mainstream educational settings.

The Vincent Smith School

Vincent Smith School is a non-profit, coed, independent school for grades 1-12 that serves students from Nassau, Suffolk, and NYC since 1924. The school is most known for its small classes, supportive staff, and individualized programs for students with learning differences such as Dyslexia/Dyscalculia/Dysgraphia, as well as school anxiety, school reluctance, or ADHD.&nbsp; We emphasize academic, college-prep success through differentiated instruction and on-site services as needed for reading, speech, or OT in dedicated classrooms. VSS offers rolling admissions throughout the year at our scenic Port Washington campus. &nbsp;