How to Help Your Child With Medical Self-Management

The transition from pediatric care to adult care can be a stressful time for families. Many parents are concerned that their child will have trouble staying on top of their medical needs, following-up regularly with their doctors, or asking the right questions. Thankfully, there are some steps that you can take to help make the transition from pediatric to adult care as seamless as possible.

When Should I Start Working Towards Transition?

It is important to note that every child is different and will be on their own timeline. As the parent you will have a lot of insight into when is appropriate for your child. Typically, most children are ready to begin talking about transition around the age of 12. Some children may be ready sooner or take longer and that is okay.

Take Small Steps Early

One of the first things that you can do is to help your child become comfortable speaking with doctors and asking questions. Transitioning to adult care is about more than switching to a new doctor or a new office. It is, most importantly, a change in mindset. For a successful transition, teens and young adults will begin to view going to the doctor as something that is for their benefit, that they have control over.

You can begin having your child work towards this by encouraging them to describe how they are feeling to the doctor and to ask questions about their medications and condition. The more children practice this the more natural it will become, leading to an understanding of their medical needs.

Advanced Steps

Once your child understands their medical needs, feels comfortable speaking with the doctor, and asking their own questions, they will be ready to take further steps towards transition of care. It is ideal that when a patient transfers from pediatric to adult care they will be able to do everything that their parents have done for them, for themselves.

A good way to accomplish this is to have your child fill out forms, schedule appointments, or call the insurance company, with your support. You can supervise while they make calls with the phone on speaker and fill out forms. Though they may find it intimidating to make calls at first, practice will help them develop comfort with these tasks.

Considerations for Patients with Developmental Disabilities

Some patients will not be able to manage their own care or advocate for themselves. Often it is still appropriate, and in the best interests of these patients, to transition to adult providers as they are better equipped to manage adult medical needs. In these cases, the transition process will look a bit different. First, it will be important to identify who will be managing the medical care for the patient. It will also be important to obtain the proper releases and consents for the patient, which may include establishing a guardian.

Transitioning from pediatric to adult care is a process that does not happen overnight and is different for everyone. It is important to start talking about transition early with both your child and your medical team, who can assist with creating goals that are specific to your child.