When Your Child Is Diagnosed with Diabetes:
Parents' Questions for the Health Care Team

Parents of children with diabetes often have concerns about the disease, its impact on their family, and how to keep their children safe and healthy. Use these questions to talk with your child's health care team and learn about your child's diabetes care needs at diagnosis and later on as well. To find out more about possible answers, use the links under each set of questions.

What are the different types of diabetes?

Which type of diabetes does our child have?

Will it ever go away?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/WhatIs/WhatIs.htm

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_FS.htm

www.jdrf.org

What does this mean for other members of our family?

Does it mean our other children will get diabetes too?

What about other family members?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_FS.htm#Identifying

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/prev/prevention.htm

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth.htm
(See Tips for Kids: Lower Your Risk for type 2 Diabetes)

What are my child's treatment goals?

How can we help our child meet these goals?

How often will our child need to visit you each year?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_FS.htm#Treatment
(See Treatment Goals and Family Support)

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/4_Steps.pdf

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth.htm
(See Tip Sheets for Kids with Type 2 Diabetes)

What other health care team members can help care for our child's diabetes?

How do we contact them?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_FS.htm (See Visiting the Health Care Team)

How can we work together as a family to help our child?

How can we help our child check blood glucose, take insulin, eat healthy foods, be more active, and learn about diabetes?

Who can help us work together as a family?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_FS.htm (See Helping Children Manage Diabetes)

What emotional issues might our child and family face?

Will diabetes affect the way our child behaves?

When do we start letting our child manage his/her own diabetes care?

Who can help us cope with these issues?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth.htm (See Tips for Teens with type 2 Diabetes: Dealing with the Ups and Downs of Diabetes)

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_FS.htm#Transition (See Transition to Independence )

www.ndep.nih.gov/resources/SchoolNurseNews.htm (See Understanding Emotional & Psychological Considerations of Children with Diabetes: Tips for School Nurses)

www.diabetes.org/for-parents-and-kids/living-with-diabetes/age-related-issues.jsp

www.diabetes.org/for-parents-and-kids/living-with-diabetes/reactions.jsp

Should we tell friends and family about our child's diabetes?

www.diabetes.org/for-parents-and-kids/living-with-diabetes/friends-family.jsp

Who can help us if we don't have medical insurance?

www.insurekidsnow.gov/questions.htm

www.usgovinfo.about.com/od/medicarehealthinsurance/a/schip.htm

What resources are there to help our child in school?

www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/Youth_NDEPSchoolGuide.pdf
www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/youth/youth_fs.htm#diabetes (See Diabetes at School)
www.diabetesinchildren.com

What research is going on?

Three large nation-wide studies are under way.

The TODAY study wants to find the best ways to care for type 2 diabetes in children and teens and has begun in 13 medical sites. To find out if you can join go to www.TODAYstudy.org.

Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet is a group of studies looking at ways to prevent or to treat type 1 diabetes early. To find out if you can join go to www.diabetestrialnet.org/public.html or call1- 800- HALT- DM1(1-800-425-8361).

The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study will help us learn about how type 1 and type 2 diabetes differ, what medical problems arise, the health care children receive, and how diabetes shapes their daily lives. www.searchfordiabetes.org

A lot of other research is going on. To find studies in your area, talk to your health care team and visit the JDRF and ADA (links below).

Additional Resources for Parents and Children National Diabetes Education Program www.ndep.nih.gov or call 1-800-438-5383
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) www.jdrf.org or call 1-800-223-1138
Children with Diabetes www.childrenwithdiabetes.com
American Diabetes Association ( ADA ) www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Diabetes Education Program is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

August 2006 Reviewed by Janet Silverstein, M.D. Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida

The information presented on this site is intended solely as a general educational aid, and is neither medical nor healthcare advice for any individual problem, nor a substitute for medical or other professional advice and services from a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your unique circumstances. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition and before starting any new treatment.