3 tips to manage treatment adherence
- Pictures- Picture books can help very young children recognise parts of the body, which can be useful when you give your child enzymes or manual physiotherapy.
- Fun- Try to keep treatment sessions playful and fun to help little ones respond positively to their treatments. For example, watch a favourite TV show while you are performing percussions. Or put on some music and bounce up and down on a yoga fit ball.
- Books and websites- Tap into the range of books and websites to start teaching your child about CF and good self-care.
The toddler challenge
Parenting a toddler can bring with it an array of challenges, even more so when you have a child with cystic fibrosis.
CF makes extra demands on your child, which might make you feel guilty about maintaining boundaries and enforcing house rules – let alone getting physio done on a daily basis.
But different boundaries for acceptable behaviour in different situations can confuse a small child. It’s important that behaviour you wouldn’t accept in the supermarket is similarly enforced during physio.
Managing adherence to physio and medication rely on the same techniques you use for managing tantrums and setting boundaries.
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It’s important that behaviour you wouldn’t accept in the supermarket is similarly enforced during physio
Stay strong
It’s difficult to ignore the feeling that the extra load your child has to bear is unfair. The last thing many parents want to do is impose too many restrictions on their child – but it is important for everyone in the family, especially your child. Try these techniques to help you deal with the need to set boundaries.
- You have the power. Setting up boundaries and routines around your child’s treatments now will provide long-term benefits for you all. Try to see adherence as being as important as brushing teeth.
- Enforce discipline without compromising your child’s independence. For example, ensure your child sticks to the treatments but allow them to choose what they do in-between times.
- Avoid overuse of the word ‘no’. For example, if your child asks for a biscuit, instead of saying, “No, we’re about to eat dinner” say, “Sure! You may have one right after dinner – which will be in ten minutes.”
Try to see adherence as being as important as brushing teeth.
5 tips for good behaviour
- Reward: Create a reward chart to encourage your child to complete physio. At this age, small instant rewards – such as watching TV or having an ice-cream – are more effective than bigger weekly ones.
- Explain: Set out consequences for not completing physio or taking too long. For example, allow 30 minutes for your child to complete physio before letting them watch TV. If they take too long, they miss the first part of their favourite TV show.
- Remind: Try to remain neutral if your child refuses to do physio. Avoid yelling, pleading and paying them too much attention – and remind them of the rewards and consequences.
- Praise: When your child completes physio, give them your full attention and emotion-rich praise as a reward rather than just sighing with relief.
- Make physio fun: Introduce simple games, such as blowing through straws, or watch children’s TV shows that entertain with singing and dancing.
Give them your full attention and emotion-rich praise as a reward rather than just sighing with relief!
Set a good example
Young children learn appropriate emotional responses
by mirroring their parents’ emotions and behaviours. Let them see you taking your own tablets, doing stretches or yoga, completing ‘pretend’ physio and so on.
Develop your own stress management and coping skills and make these a part of family life.
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Be excited about your child’s good choices, showing lots of positive emotion when things go well.
Choices work!
Offering choices instead of demands and commands work especially well during the early years, especially when it’s time for medication and treatments.
- Try saying “Would you like to do your physio now or in ten minutes?”or “Would you like your medicine with white or chocolate milk?” or “Would you like to colour or play with stickers while you do your physio?” to encourage them to cooperate.
- Be excited about your child’s good choices, showing lots of positive emotion when things go well and very little emotion when they don’t.
- Make the most of your CF team. They understand that it’s sometimes difficult to adhere to the daily treatment routine, and might be able to change something, or make suggestions that will help make the routine easier to manage.
- Talk to other parents: This is one of the most valuable sources of information and tips. Ask your local CF organisation for the contact details of a support group near you.
Click on Getting Support to find out how to contact a local CF organisation.
Cystic Fibrosis Trust from Sebas and Clim on Vimeo.
