Q&A WITH PROFESSOR GRAHAM ROBERTS
Teens and tweens with food allergies: gaining independence and allergy management
Date recorded: 17th January 2022
How can you support a child with food allergies as they grow older, how do you keep them safe as they become teenagers and when is the right time for a child with food allergies to become more independent? The Allergy Team put these questions and many more to Professor Graham Roberts, an expert in young people and food allergy.
In this hour-long Q&A Professor Roberts offers some fantastic practical advice on how to navigate everything from starting secondary school and the power of supportive peers to teenage social lives and how to prepare your young person for leaving home, going to university, or travelling with food allergies.
Taking questions from parents and carers, Professor Roberts discussed how to balance safety with the teenage urge to party and gave helpful tips for young people carrying their own medication. He also shared his thoughts on the right age to start encouraging your child to take more control of managing their food allergies. Spoiler alert – there’s no right or wrong, boys and girls are very different and start early!
Graham Roberts is Professor and Honorary Consultant Paediatrician in Paediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton and became President of the BSACI in 2021. He gave up his time for free to support allergy families.
This Q&A was recorded live on Monday 17th January 2022.
Watch it here for £20 (£10 for subscribers to our newsletter)