When Your Child Needs
Daily Medicine

About one in 10 school-age children lives with a chronic illness, such as diabetes, asthma, or seizure disorder. Chronic conditions typically demand daily attention, including monitoring and medication. Taking medicine and the burden of the illness itself can stress the entire family. To help everyone cope, keep these strategies in mind:

• Be in the know. Make sure that you and your child understand why the drugs are necessary, what their side effects might be, and what could happen if a dose is skipped. It’s also wise to learn how to deal with changes in routine—such as trips—and what health problems must be reported.
• Enlist your child’s help. Use positive reinforcement, such as praise, stickers, and rewards charts. Older children appreciate incentives, too. For example, a teenager may “forget” to take her antiseizure medication. Let her know that most states require a lengthy seizure-free interval before granting a driver’s license to a person with epilepsy.
• Communicate with your child. Emphasize that despite its side effects, medication can help your child lead a more normal life. Listen when he talks about the problems he faces. Your child may feel embarrassed or different from his peers. See if you can solve these problems together. Your child’s doctor may have suggestions, too. Counseling or peer support groups may offer needed support.
• Compromise when you can. If taking medications at school is embarrassing, your child may be able to take them at home instead. Work with your child’s doctor to find safe compromises.
• Share information. Explain your child’s medical needs to key people at her school. School personnel should know how to respond to a seizure or asthma attack. If appropriate, see if your child can keep her medications in her backpack, leave the classroom without disrupting a lesson, or make a class presentation about her illness.
• Empower your child. Use role-playing to prepare your child for the questions he may face at school. Ask your child, “If your friends wonder why you need to take medication, what will you say?” Discuss and practice appropriate answers.
• Be prepared for adolescence. A teen’s desire for independence can conflict with her need to depend on parents and doctors. Avoid making medications a battlefield. Instead, gradually transfer to your growing child the responsibility for managing her medications while supporting her healthy behaviors.