A 12-year-old with poor diabetes control has a parent who forgets to remind her to check blood sugars. Which action is correct?

A 12-year-old with poor diabetes control has a parent who forgets to remind her to check blood sugars. Which action is correct?

• A. Help the child develop a strategy to remember without parental prompts.
• B. Assess the parent's knowledge about diabetes management.
• C. Remind the child's parent about the importance of good diabetes control.
• D. Refer to a social worker to help the family overcome obstacles to care.

Answer: (A)

Promoting self-management and autonomy in adolescent diabetes care. When a 12-year-old’s diabetes control suffers because a parent frequently reminds her to check her blood sugars, the best step is to help the child develop a reliable strategy to remember without parental prompts. This builds independence and steady adherence by turning reminders into routines the child can own. Practical approaches include set testing times, alarms on the glucose meter or phone, and a simple checklist that the child follows every day. By gradually shifting responsibility and giving concrete tools, the child’s ability to monitor and respond to glucose levels improves, supporting safer, more consistent care as they grow. The other options don’t directly cultivate the child’s self-management at this age: evaluating the parent’s knowledge addresses the caregiver but not the child’s skills; simply reminding the parent about control centers on the parent rather than enabling the child; and a social work referral can be valuable for broader obstacles, but it isn’t the immediate step to foster the child’s independence in daily diabetes management.

Promoting self-management and autonomy in adolescent diabetes care. When a 12-year-old’s diabetes control suffers because a parent frequently reminds her to check her blood sugars, the best step is to help the child develop a reliable strategy to remember without parental prompts. This builds independence and steady adherence by turning reminders into routines the child can own. Practical approaches include set testing times, alarms on the glucose meter or phone, and a simple checklist that the child follows every day. By gradually shifting responsibility and giving concrete tools, the child’s ability to monitor and respond to glucose levels improves, supporting safer, more consistent care as they grow.

The other options don’t directly cultivate the child’s self-management at this age: evaluating the parent’s knowledge addresses the caregiver but not the child’s skills; simply reminding the parent about control centers on the parent rather than enabling the child; and a social work referral can be valuable for broader obstacles, but it isn’t the immediate step to foster the child’s independence in daily diabetes management.