If a child is showing any of the 4 Ts, parents should take them to the doctor and insist on a screening test for type 1 diabetes.
This consists of a urine test to look for sugar in the urine or a finger-prick test in which the child's blood is analyzed to determine their glucose level.
Medical experts say this is important because "onset can be so quick that a delay of a matter of hours can be the difference between being diagnosed at the right time and being diagnosed too late."
Medical experts also recommend more widespread screening, especially among those who have a close family member with diabetes.
Other doctors recommend testing asymptomatic children aged over 10 years who are overweight (over 85 percentile for body mass index or over 120 percent ideal weight for height) if they have any two of the following risk factors:
family history of type 2 diabetes in a first- or second-degree relative
high-risk ethnicity
signs of insulin resistance
maternal history of diabetes or gestational diabetes during the child's gestation