Teaching Kids How to Advocate for Their Medical Needs When Away from Home

When kids are away from home—whether at school, summer camp, a friend’s house or a sports tournament—they may find themselves in situations where they need to speak up about a medical condition, symptom or need. While parents can’t always be there to explain allergies, medications or care routines, they can equip their children with the confidence and skills to do it themselves.

Teaching kids how to advocate for their medical needs isn’t just about safety—it’s about giving them a voice, building self-reliance and ensuring they can navigate new environments with both confidence and care. Here, Kerri Crawford, child life specialist, offers helpful advice surrounding this very important topic.

Common Barriers to Self-Advocacy

Kids may feel anxious or uncomfortable speaking up about their medical needs for many reasons, and those reasons can differ from child to child. Trusted adults can help by asking children how they feel about advocating for themselves, encouraging them to express those feelings and validating their concerns. Common worries include being dismissed by an adult or being judged or teased by peers.

“The idea that they might not be taken seriously or might be different than others can be a big barrier,” states Crawford. “I think it's also important to talk to them about how we can't promise those things won't happen, but what we can do is equip them with the coping tools and advocacy skills to work through those tough moments if and when they do happen.”

Practical Tips to Instill Self-Advocacy

Teaching kids to express and advocate for their health needs can start as early as toddlerhood—essentially, as soon as they can point to an injury or say “ow.” The process begins with modeling: narrating what’s happening, explaining next steps and showing them how to care for themselves or seek help. Even very young children learn by observing and hearing these interactions.

“It’s all about offering them really simple, realistic choices and following their lead so they feel like they have some control over the situation,” advises Crawford. “That can feel hard sometimes.”

Building self-advocacy skills starts with creating an emotionally safe space for kids to practice speaking up, so the experience feels familiar when it’s needed. Caregivers and medical teams can support this by following the child’s lead, going at their pace and using tools tailored to what works best for them—such as short scripts, visual aids, roleplaying or even secret signals to alert an adult discreetly.

Another element involves condition-specific tools that can be employed. “In our diabetes clinic at Le Bonheur, we have a child life specialist who works with kids to make a personalized key chain with their name and their information,” says Crawford. “They can choose what it looks like, what it has on it. It becomes a visual cue to the people around them, so they know the child does have a medical condition that might need some attention at some point.”

Considerations for Kids with Unique Challenges

For children with communication challenges or developmental differences, the key is to meet them where they are and recognize that every child communicates in some way—whether through speech, sign language, a communication device or other methods. This involves learning how they best express themselves, talking with parents about their developmental level and creating a plan to accommodate and support their needs.

“It’s important to take the approach of learning more about them and then coming up with a plan together so everyone feels comfortable with the plan, especially the child who will be the one responsible for the plan when their parents or caregivers aren't around,” explains Crawford. “As child life specialists, we need to adapt our approach and honor what feels doable and comfortable to them.”