How Do You Talk To Your Child About Their Diagnosis

I’ve been getting this question a lot lately and I think it’s a fantastic point of conversation. Let’s chat about neurodiversity. First, a definition: Neurodiversity essentially refers to the variety of ways a person's brain can function and the impact that has on their behavioral traits. Those who are neurodiverse operate differently from those who are neurotypical. People refer to neurodiversity a lot in the context of children on the autism spectrum but it also includes ADHD, OCD, and sensory processing disorder, and others. Now, a lot of parents have sought out evaluations for their child/ren. And since we’re a little further into the school year, and also because children have been on waitlists because of the pandemic, there’s been a wave of parents receiving diagnosis for their kids and learning they’re neurodiverse. It can be a lot for a parent to process and definitely a lot for a child. So the question is, how do you tell a child about their diagnosis? What age should you tell them? How do you explain something so complex? In this week’s Mudroom I’m going to share how you can talk to your child about their diagnosis and neurodiversity in a way that’s not overwhelming for them. Not only can this conversation be a great way to start helping them build an understanding of their own behaviours and feelings, it’s also a great way to affirm and empower them if/when they start to notice their differences compared to their neurotypical peers. Chatting with your child about their neurodiversity isn’t explored a whole lot so I’m excited for this convo! Grab the Scripts to Manage the Top 10 Crazy-Making Behaviours: prnt.link/scripts Watch the video recording here: Join the Parenting Posse: prnt.link/group the Mudroom is recorded live every Wednesday at 1:30pm ET/ 12:30pm CT/ 10:30am PT on Facebook: facebook.com/arfamilyservices