Developmental Factors and Competence to Make Informed Treatment Decisions

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Abstract
Parental discretion in decision-making regarding a child's health care is the predominant legal standard in the United States. However, it is recognized that, in some situations, the "best interests" of children and adolescents might be served by authorizing them to provide legally valid consent or refusal for treatment. Adolescents may be as capable as adults of rendering "competent" treatment decisions, according to those criteria reviewed in this paper. It is supposed that the "competence" of younger minors may be difficult to predict on the basis of age alone, although most school-aged children do appear capable of participating meaningfully in personal treatment decisions.

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