Education and resources provide families with support

The Diabetes Clinic at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin offers the full range of basic courses for caregivers, as well as more advanced selfmanagement education courses. The education program is recognized by the American Diabetes Association and uses award-winning videos and books developed by the Children's Hospital team. These materials are available for purchase and are used by other programs throughout the country.

The NEW (Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Management) Kids Program at Children's Hospital is geared toward a holistic treatment of pediatric overweight. It coordinates efforts of nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, dietitians, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and physicians. The NEW Kids Program focuses on children who are overweight and have medical problems related to their condition, including type 2 diabetes.

Patients from Children's Hospital's Diabetes Clinic participated in a study looking for ways to improve teenagers' abilities to manage their diabetes care in social situations. Results from the study, "Improving Adherence in Social Situations for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM): A Pilot Study," was published in Primary Care Diabetes in 2009. Researchers found that teaching problem-solving skills to teens with diabetes may be helpful in improving their ability to manage diabetes care in social situations such as school or afterschool activities.