Welcome to Parenting Children with Health Issues, a first-of-its-kind program for parents of children with special healthcare needs. It was specifically created for caregivers who are raising (or work with) children with any chronic illness or medical condition including allergies, aids, asthma, birth defects, cancer, obesity, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, eating disorders, epilepsy, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, sickle cell anemia, traumatic injuries, etc.  

If your child’s good health depends on routine medical, health or dietary care then this program provides essential information for you. It is also valuable for medical professionals, mental health professionals, and other caregivers who work with these children and their families.
 

Medical science is advancing so rapidly that many diseases now considered life threatening, life shortening or terminal might soon become treatable and perhaps simply a maintenance issue. Children who comply with their treatment programs have a much better chance of maintaining their optimum health potential in order to take advantage of revolutionary new treatments which loom on the horizon for many. This program is designed to give you the skills you need to increase the odds that your children will follow doctor’s orders, make good health decisions, and choose to live the fullest, richest life possible.

Parenting Children with Health Issues will help you respond to your children in ways that will encourage them to accept responsibility for their healthcare, while imparting hope and teaching coping skills. Even at an early age, it is critical that children accept the importance of complying with medical regimens, whether they are special diets, insulin shots, daily medication, breathing treatments, or physical therapy. Parenting styles have a huge impact on how well children accept responsibility and accountability for their healthcare.

All parents who face the daunting prospect of raising a child with a chronic medical condition experience similar psychological and behavioral challenges. Parents must avoid control battles over healthcare issues which can be used manipulatively by children who, naturally, resist painful, unpleasant, or annoying medical procedures, especially in the potentially rebellious teenage years. Some particularly strong-willed children refuse to comply with medical requirements nearly to the point of death. The good news is that, with some easy-to-learn skills, parents can increase the odds that their kids will make good decisions about their lives.
 

This program will answer important questions such as:

• How do I encourage my child to really love life?
• How do I handle refusal to take medication?
• How do I encourage my child’s concern for her illness without frightening her?
• How can I best separate the “can’ts” from the “won’ts"?
• How do I encourage responsibility without harping, nagging, or lecturing?
• How do I communicate with my child about his/her illness in ways he/she will understand?

As we examine these and other difficult issues that arise when parenting a child with medical challenges, we use a wide variety of examples from different medical conditions. Many of our examples focus on the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF) because it is an illness with a broad range of medical care requirements and adherence to these requirements clearly increases the odds of a healthier, longer life-span.

Caregivers of children with CF are required to implement a variety of strategies for managing the child's particular symptoms. These include daily breathing treatments, the management of dietary requirements, extensive and multiple hospitalizations, coping with invasive medical procedures and tests, taking massive amounts of oral and/or intravenous medications and possible organ transplants. It is not uncommon for those with CF to also have secondary diseases, such as diabetes and liver problems. Since, at the time of this writing, CF is a very serious disease with life-shortening implications, this illness can more than adequately cover the spectrum of illnesses from the most severe to the least critical.

We hope the information presented in this program will support, teach, and inspire you as your family copes with the challenging issues of parenting very special children who live each day with medical conditions.

___________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2006- 2016 by Epic LLC, Foster W. Cline, MD, Lisa C. Greene, MA, CFLE and/or individual authors where specifically indicated. All rights reserved.  For permission to reprint, please contact us via the contact page of this webite or at 2620 Bellevue Way NE  #146, Bellevue, WA  98004.

The information published on this website or in any connected material -- downloads, emails, message boards, books, CDs, DVDs, videos, conferences -- or any other derivative information is the opinion of Epic, LLC only and is not meant to supplant or replace professional medical or mental health care.  Medically-based reasons for behavioral problems should always be considered first.  Persons should seek the advice of a medical professional when making decisions about personal healthcare or treatment. Epic LLC is not responsible for any situation or outcome as a result of the personal use of the information published on this website or connected materials.

Love and Logic is a registered trademark of The Institute for Professional Development, Ltd., Cline/Fay Institute, Inc., The Love and Logic Institute, Inc., and/or The Love and Logic Press, Inc. This website is not associated with or sponsored by The Institute for Professional Development Ltd. and its affiliates except for a publisher/author relationship with The Love and Logic Press.  All materials including graphics, print, audio, video and any other media contained in this website, the book Parenting Children with Health Issues and derivatives are copyrighted by Foster W. Cline MD (co-founder of Love and Logic) and/or Lisa C. Greene unless otherwise noted.

Website graphics designed by Pneuma Books, LLC.