The challenge of transferring responsibility for diabetes management from parent to child.

To emancipate from their parents, children and adolescents with diabetes eventually must assume responsibility for self-care. The challenge that parents and health care professionals face is deciding when and how to transfer this responsibility from parent to child. Inappropriate transfer of self-care responsibility can precipitate poor metabolic control and strain parent-child relationships. By planning the gradual transfer of this responsibility based on children's cognitive abilities, maturity level, demonstrated self-care skills, and family environment factors, health care providers can minimize these problems.