Featured Policy

The AAP urges primary care providers ask three questions to identify an infant with liver disease during the 2-4 week well-child visit, along with other recommendations in a new clinical report. Biliary atresia accounts for 60% of liver transplants in infants younger than 1 year and 30% of all liver transplants in pediatric patients. 

The AAP approved the 2025 schedule, which outlines recommended screenings and assessments for patients from birth to age 21. No changes have been made to clinical guidance or footnotes in the 2025 Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule).

Pediatricians and pediatric trainees in North America are increasingly involved in caring for children and adolescents in or from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many LMICs, toxic environmental exposures are highly prevalent and account for twice as great a proportion of disease and deaths among young children as in North America.

This report aims to review recent advances in the understanding of fracture specificity, fracture mechanisms, and other medical conditions that predispose infants and children to fracture. This clinical report will aid pediatricians and pediatric care providers in developing an evidence-based differential diagnosis and performing appropriate evaluations when assessing a child with fractures.

This clinical report provides 3 updated recommendations. First, a new AAP algorithm has been endorsed for use in CCHD screening. Compared with the original AAP algorithm from 2011, this new algorithm a) has a passing oxygen saturation threshold of ≥95% in both pre- and post-ductal measurements; and b) has only 1 retest instead of 2 for infants who did not pass the first screen. Second, to continue to improve screening, state newborn screening programs should collect a recommended minimum uniform dataset to aid in surveillance and monitoring of the program. Finally, stakeholders should be educated on the limitations of screening, the significance of non-CCHD conditions, and the importance of protocol adherence

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians encourage shared reading, beginning at birth and continuing at least through kindergarten, as a strategy for supporting parents and caregivers, enhancing foundational relationships, promoting positive language-rich interactions, and helping families create nurturing and stimulating home environments. 

A new AAP policy details the updates to immunization recommendations for children from birth through 18 years. The most significant updates to the 2025 schedules are related to COVID-19, meningococcal B and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines.

This new clinical report examines the leading cause of pediatric visual impairment and recommends that pediatricians familiarize themselves with the condition and its causes, improve communication within the patient’s healthcare team and support research on cerebral/cortical visual impairment.

Nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU), the use of controlled prescription medications for purposes other than initially intended by the prescriber, is common among adolescents and young adults (AYAs).

In this new policy statement, the AAP recommends universal paid family and medical leave for at least 12 weeks with parity across all leave categories.

In an updated policy statement, the AAP recommends cheerleading athletes be screened each year with preparticipation physical evaluations to give pediatricians the chance to assess any injuries while informing patients and families about ways to practice the sport safely. 

A new clinical report from the AAP frames the ethical, legal, and medical issues of permanent contraception in children, adolescents, and young adults with intellectual developmental disorder, emphasizing the importance of long-acting reversible and minimally invasive treatments.

In this updated policy statement, the AAP recommends a trauma-informed approach to supporting students and reducing the need for exclusionary discipline.

This updated AAP policy statement encourages parents and caregivers to read aloud with their newborns and young children as an opportunity to foster loving, nurturing relationships during a critical time of brain development.

The AAP has published its first clinical guideline for pediatricians on prescribing opioids, including explicit instructions on how and when to prescribe these medications for pain while reducing the long-term risk of addiction. 

This policy statement updates the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics for the routine use of influenza vaccines and antiviral medications in the prevention and treatment of influenza in children during the 2024–2025 influenza season.

This AAP Technical Report summarizes the principles and application of phototherapy consistent with current policy. The light used in phototherapy makes it easier for a baby's liver to break down and remove the substance bilirubin from the blood.  

The AAP has updated its recommendations for physicians on how to identify problems involving a child's teeth, gums and mouth that may be signs of physical or sexual abuse or neglect in a new clinical report.