QUESTION: So what are some ways that parents can help their children adjust to a diagnosis of IBD?

DR. SZIGETHY: Alright, I think first and foremost it's to foster open, honest communication, and really letting their child set the tone of the pace and what they would and wouldn't like to talk about. Now, it's often most parents' first experience with a chronic illness, so it's helpful for them to talk to their pediatrician or their gastroenterologist to really learn about what developmental level their child is at, because children of different ages have different ideas about how their bodies work and what might go wrong with it when they have something like IBD. So with that information, then talking to their children, making sure that they're making the home a safe environment for the children to ask questions, and also respecting if their children and/or adolescents have either emotional responses- some kids get angry, some kids shut down and become quiet- and respecting that that might actually be normal for that child, but to still always make as many possibilities to communicate open and available as possible.