Health Resource Library

BCH: Welcome to our Health Education Library, which contains educational materials created by Boston Children’s Hospital health care providers in partnership with patients and families. These materials are for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, please talk to your child’s provider.
 
Boston Children's Hospital Health Education Library
 
For a more complete directory of child-health topics, visit our Conditions & Treatments page.

• CDC: What is ADHD?
  https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html
• NIMH: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Basics

• RPS: Asthma/Allergy Action Plan Form:
• AAFA: Allergy Overview
• AAFA: Allergy Facts & Figures
• KFA: Living with Food Allergies 
• KFA: Food Allergy Facts & Figures
• KFA: What is Anaphylaxis?
• BCH: How to Use an EPI-PEN for Anaphylaxis (pdf) 
• BCH: How to Use an EPI-PEN (video) 
• BCH: Allergy Environmental Controls (pdf)

• Handholdma.org: What Can I Do?:
• NIH: 5 Things you Should Know about Stress:
• NIH: I'm So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet:
• AACAP: Stress Management & Teens:
• Infographic: How to Recognize Anxiety in Yourself & Others
• Infographic: Zones of Regulation:
• VIDEO: 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise to Alleviate Anxiety & Stress for Teens & Adults:
• Infographic: 5 Senses: Grounding Technique:
• VIDEO: 5 Senses: Grounding Technique
• Scholastic: Tame the Stress Monster:
  https://choices.scholastic.com/issues/2018-19/090118/tame-the-stress-monster.html 
• NIH: Making a Stress Catcher: Catch Some Great Coping Skills for Managing Stress
• Headspace: Meditation Resources
• Coping Skills (pdf)
• Feeling Thermometer:
  Displaying Feeling Thermometer.jpg

• RPS: Asthma/Allergy Action Plan Form:
• AAFA: Asthma Overview:
• AAFA: Helping Students Manage Asthma in School:
• AAFA: Your Guide to Managing Asthma (Free pdf download)
• BCH: Asthma Triggers:
• BCH: How to Use an Inhaler with a Spacer & Mouthpiece:
• BCH: How to Clean an Inhaler & Spacer:

• NIMH: Autism Spectrum Disorder:

• What is Bullying?:
• Facts About Bullying:
• What Kids Can Do:
  Are you being bullied? Do you see bullying at your school? There are things you can do to keep yourself and the kids you know safe from bullying.
• What Teens Can Do:
  Bullying stops us from being who we want to be, and prevents us from expressing ourselves freely, and might even make us feel unsafe. If you are bullied, say something! If you are bullying, it’s not cool!
• Being Bullied? Get Help Now:
  If you have done everything you can to resolve the situation and nothing has worked, or someone is in immediate danger, there are ways to get help.
• Bullying Videos:
  Watch these videos to learn how KB, Josh, Milton, and their friends deal with kids who bully. After watching each video, take a quiz to see how much you know about bullying.

• CDC: The Buzz on Energy Drinks:
• NIH: Energy Drinks:
• Nemours TeensHealth: Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks:

• RPS Concussion Forms:
• CDC: What is a Concussion?:
• CDC: Concussion Signs & Symptoms:
• MA.Gov: Concussion Resources:

• CDC: Diabetes Overview:
• BCH: What is Diabetes?:
• BCH: Guide for Newly Diagnosed Diabetics

• CDC: Prevent Domestic Violence in Your Community:

Local Resources:

• Domestic Violence:
• Rape Survivor Services:
• HAWC: Healing Abuse Working for Change:
• Domestic Violence Prevention:
  https://gloucester-ma.gov/198/Domestic-Violence-Prevention

• CDC: Teen Substance Use & Risks:
  https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/features/teen-substance-use.html
• NIDA: Drug Facts: Get the Facts About the Most Commonly Abused Drugs:
• NIDA: Teens: Drug Use & the Brain:
• Scholastic: Heads Up: Real News About Drugs & Your Body:
  http://headsup.scholastic.com/index?cID=225 
• NIDA: Have a Drug Problem? Need Help?:
• NIDA: Parent Resources:
• Partnership to End Addiction:
• Partnership to End Addiction: Parent e-books & Guides:
• NIDA: Alcohol:
• CDC: Dangers of Mixing Alcohol with Caffeine:
• CDC: Underage Drinking:

 
Local Resources:

• Gloucester Substance Abuse Prevention:
• North Shore Health Project:

• NEDA: What are Eating Disorders?
• NEDA: Information by Eating Disorder:
• NEDA: Eating Disorder Warning Signs & Symptoms:
• NEDA: Identity & Eating Disorders:
• NEDA: Busting the Myths about Eating Disorders:
• NEDA: Body Image:
• NEDA: Eating Disorder Brochure
  https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/sites/default/files/brochures/Eating_Disorder.pdf
• NEDA: Parent Tool Kit:
• NEDA: Get Help:
  Contact the Helpline for support, resources, and treatment options for yourself or a loved one. Helpline volunteers are trained to help you find the information and support you are looking for. Reach out today!
• Find Treatment Near You:
• MEDA: Eating Disorder Resources:

• CDC: Epilepsy Overview:
• CDC: Seizure First Aid:

• Care Dimensions: Grief Support Resources:
  "Students who are coping with trauma and loss bear a heavy burden and may have difficulty functioning socially, emotionally and on academic work. Grief has no timetable. It may come in waves during the turbulent months of a loved one’s illness and then intensify after he or she has passed away. Each experience is unique and deeply personal. Emotions run the gamut from sadness, anxiety and guilt to anger, helplessness and depression. Whatever the reaction, Care Dimensions will be by your side, offering support and comfort – helping you cope and move forward."
• Care Dimensions Pamphlet: Children, Teens & Grief: A Guide for Families:
• Dougy Center: National Grief Center for Children & Families:
  "Dougy Center provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and families who are grieving can share their experiences before and after a death. We provide support and training locally, nationally, and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children in grief."
• Resources for Kids:
• Resources for Teens:
• Good Grief: Grief Resources:
  "Grief is a normal and natural reaction to death. Love and grief are inseparable – they are yin and yang – so when we lose those we love we experience grief. It is a normal response and it has been a part of the human condition since the beginning of time. You can see grief in every culture. Some cultures embrace this experience more directly than others. Some, unfortunately, sweep this experience under the rug or pathologize it as an abnormality."
• How to Talk with Kids about Grief & Loss:
  Boston Medical: The Good Grief Program: Supporting Children through Grief:

• CDC: Hand-washing, Clean Hands Save Lives:
• CDC: Hand-washing FAQs:

• CDC: Bed Bugs:
• MA.gov: Bed Bugs:
  https://www.mass.gov/service-details/bed-bugs
• CDC: Head Lice Overview:
• MA-DPH: Head Lice (Pediculosis)
• CDC: Mosquitoes:
• MA.gov: Mosquito-borne Diseases:
• CDC: Parasitic Infections in Children:
• CDC: Scabies:
• MA.gov: Scabies:
• CDC: Tick Bites/Prevention:
  https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/tick-bites-prevention.html
• CDC: Tick Removal: How to Remove a Tick:
• MA.gov: Tick Bourne Diseases:

• MA DESE: Guidance for Massachusetts Public Schools Creating a Safe and Supportive School Environment:
• CDC: LGBT Youth Resources:
  https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth-resources.htm
• NAGLY: Northshore Alliance of GLBTQ Youth:
  Our mission is to honor, respect, educate, and empower GLBTQ youth.
• GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network:
  Our mission is to ensure that every member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
  • GLSEN Massachusetts is a chapter of GLSEN, a national organization fighting for every student’s right to a safe, supportive education. 
  • GLSEN: Pronoun Guide:
• GenderSpectrum
  Gender Spectrum works to create gender sensitive and inclusive environments for all children and teens.
• HealthyChildren.org: Gender-Diverse and Transgender Children: Facts for Teens & their Families:
  If you’ve ever wondered if you’re gay, lesbian, or bisexual, you’re not alone. Many teens ask themselves this question, and here are ways to find some answers. For parents and caregivers, finding out your son or daughter is gay, lesbian, or bisexual can present challenges. Learn more about how to be supportive.
• American Psychological Association: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: 
  Accurate information for those who want to better understand sexual orientation. Although we can choose whether to act on our feelings, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation to be a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed.
• Family Acceptance Project: LGBTQ Youth & Family Resources:
  The Family Acceptance Project is a research, intervention, education, and policy initiative that works to prevent health and mental health risks for LGBT children and youth.
• Q Chat Space:
  Q Chat Space is a digital LGBTQ+ center where teens join live-chat, professionally facilitated, online support groups. Also available in Spanish (disponible en español).
  https://www.qchatspace.org/
• It Gets Better Project:
  The It Gets Better Project’s mission is to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe. The It Gets Better Project inspires people across the globe to share their stories and remind the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth that hope is out there, and it will get better.
• Stomp Out Bullying: Making Schools Safe for LGBTQ Community
  Schools should be a young person’s primary center for learning, growing, and building a foundation for success in the world. High school can be challenging for any student, but LGBTQ youth face additional obstacles of harassment, abuse, and violence.
• The Trevor Project: Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention:
  The Trevor Project is a national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.

• NIMH: Mental Health Information: Mental Health Disorders & Related Topics:
• NIMH: My Mental Health: Do I Need Help?
• NIMH: For Parents: Child & Adolescent Mental Health
• NIMH: Children & Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage?:
  https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/children-and-mental-health/20-mh-8085-childrenmenthealth_157169.pdf
• NIMH: Mental Health Brochures & Fact Sheets:
• NIMH: Emotional Wellness Toolkit:
• Local Resources for Mental Health Crisis:
• Handholdma.org: Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being Resources:
• Parent/Professional Advocacy League: MA Family Voice for Children's Mental Health:

• CDC: Childhood Nutrition Facts:
• CDC: Water & Nutrition:
• USDA: Choose My Plate: Eat Healthy:
• USDA: Healthy Eating on a Budget:

• CDC: Physical Activity Facts:
• CDC: How Much Physical Activity Do Children Need?:
• CDC: Physical Activity Recommendations by Age:
• USDA: 10 Tips for Becoming More Active as a Family:
  https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tentips/DGTipsheet29BeAnActiveFamily_0.pdf

• National Safety Council: Safety at Home:
  The National Safety Council wants to help you stay safe in all areas of your life. We have researchers and statisticians working all the time to keep you up to date on the best ways to keep yourself and your family safe.
• NSC: Backpack Safety:
• CDC: Sun Safety:
• CDC: How Can I Protect My Children From the Sun:
• Rockport: Bicycle Safety:
  https://www.rockportma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1141/f/uploads/bicycle_safety-1.pdf
• NTSA: Learn to Bike Safely: Lessons for Bikers of All Ages:
• NTSA: Bicycle Safety: Tips for Parents & Kids:
• NTSA: Keeping Kids Safe:
  NHTSA works to prevent injuries and fatalities for all road users—including children, teens, older drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers with disabilities. Here you’ll find information and resources to keep your loved ones safe on the road, in and around cars. Whether you’re buying your child’s first car seat, deciding whether to let your kids walk to school or take the bus, handing the car keys to your teenager, looking for adaptive equipment for a disabled driver, or you’re concerned about your older parent’s ability to drive, we’re here to answer your questions.
• CDC: Buckle Up: Massachusetts:
  https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/seatbelts/2020/CDC-Restraint-Use-Fact-Sheets_Massachusetts.pdf
• BCH: Guidelines for Using Child Car Seats Safely:

• NIH: Emotional Wellness Tool Kit:
• Self Care:
• 11 Self Care Tips for Teens & Young Adults:
• Self Care: 12 Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself:

• CDC: Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs):

 
Local Resources:

• North Shore Health Project: One Stop Prevention & Screening Services:
  http://healthproject.org/one-stop-center.html
• Health Q:

• CDC: Sleep & Health:
• BCH: Healthy Sleep Tips
• NIH: Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency
• NIH: Outside Light Linked with Teens' Sleep & Mental Health:

• CDC: Teen Pregnancy:
• CDC: For Teens: It's Your Future. You Can Protect it:

 
Local Resources:

• Health Q:

• CDC: E-Cigarettes: Get the Facts:
  https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/index.htm
• CDC: Risks of E-Cigarette Use for Kids, Teens & Young Adults:
  https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html
• MA.gov: Vapes & Cigarettes: Different Products, Same Dangers
• Quit Vaping
• Become a Smoke Free Teen: Resources on How to Quit: