In contrast to adults, children younger than 18 years of age are not considered to be legally competent and usually are not considered to be capable of giving fully reasoned consent. Therefore, in most cases parents and healthcare providers make healthcare decision for children without the child’s consent. Instead of giving consent, a child is asked to assent. The child’s assent about end-of-life care is deeply affected by the child’s developmental and chronological age, since young children have limited understandings of illness and death.