Background: In Germany around 20 000 children live with a RMD. Despite this significant number, there is a lack of age-appropriate materials and tools to help children understand and cope with their condition. This also includes a lack of representation of the young patients’ everyday experiences, leaving children and families without sufficient resources to navigate the practical and emotional challenges that having a RMD poses.

Objectives: This project aims to provide children with the necessary tools to better understand and manage their RMD while creating empowering and enjoyable experiences. Additionally, it seeks to support parents by offering valuable information, practical tips and guidance. Building on the existing children’s book, the project focuses on developing complementary materials to enhance its impact and provide even more tools.

Methods: The book was collaboratively developed by parents, psychotherapists and social workers to ensure both medical accuracy and emotional resonance. To make the content relatable and ganging, 45 children in specialised children’s RMD clinics were surveyed, leading to the creation of Malu, a fictional character who is the books main character, representing the everyday experiences of children with RMD.

Results: The resulting book explores Malus daily life, showing both the challenges, they face due to rheumatism and the inventive tricks Malu uses to cope, such as keeping a special emergency plan for tougher days to hats that give them special abilities like courage. The book also includes interactive elements such as puzzles, detective games and craft instructions like a “Feel-o-meter” to help children learn about their illness and express their emotions. The book is available in German, French and Italian and can be accessed for free. To complement the book, additional materials are being developed, including a Malu doll with four exchangeable hats, a detective magnifying glass and instructions for creating a personalised “box of tricks” that help children deal with their pain, as well as emotions. Future plans include workshops for healthcare professionals to use the Malu doll as a communication tool during appointments and adapting the materials to support older children and young adults in an age-appropriate way, particularly with mental health challenges.

Conclusion: The book has already received positive feedback for its ability to empower children with RMDs and foster greater understanding within their families and peer groups. Beyond its primary audience, the materials can also be used in educational settings, such as schools, to help peers better understand the experiences of children with RMDs. The accompanying materials are currently in production and the project aims to continue raising awareness, building networks and creating resources for affected children and their families.

REFERENCES: [1] Further details about the book and its development can be found at: https://eltern.rheuma-liga.de/fuer-kinder .

Acknowledgements: NIL.

Disclosure of Interests: None declared.

© The Authors 2025. This abstract is an open access article published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ). Neither EULAR nor the publisher make any representation as to the accuracy of the content. The authors are solely responsible for the content in their abstract including accuracy of the facts, statements, results, conclusion, citing resources etc.