Children and adolescents who happen to have diabetes.

Diabetes in children presents special management challenges because of the child's constantly developing physical and emotional state. The need for daily monitoring, medication, and special diet involves parents, teachers, coaches, and other caretakers, and the normal difficulties of growing up may be magnified by this feeling of "being different." This article presents strategies for individualizing the management plan for children and adolescents with diabetes to foster normal growth and development as well as to optimize glycemic control.