A 6-year-old client was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus 2 years ago. The nurse would like to encourage the client to participate in disease management. Which of the following diabetes care tasks are appropriate for the child to perform? Select all that apply.

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The nurse should offer school-aged children (age 6-12) as much opportunity as possible to participate in care to promote psychosocial development (industry versus inferiority) and provide a sense of control. Parents should transfer management of care to the child in small steps based on the child's skill level and cognitive ability. School-aged children are in the concrete operational stage of development and are most successful performing simple, concrete tasks with a limited number of steps. Appropriate diabetes management tasks for school-aged children include: Choosing and cleaning a finger for blood glucose testing before a parent or caregiver performs the puncture (Option C) Selecting the site for insulin injection, with a parent or caregiver verifying appropriate site rotation (Option A) Pushing the syringe plunger to administer insulin after a parent or caregiver inserts the needle (Option B) Identifying signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia (Option E) (Option D) Adjusting insulin doses based on glucose readings is too complicated for school-aged children, and mistakes can be life-threatening. Children develop the cognitive ability to analyze test results and adjust insulin doses at approximately age 14. Educational objective: Children should participate in their diabetes management. The school-aged child can choose and clean a finger for a blood glucose reading, select the insulin injection site, push the plunger to administer insulin after parents or caregivers insert the needle, and identify signs of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

A 6-Year-Old Client Was Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus