It takes a village to raise a child – it’s something many have heard before. However, many parents find themselves having a difficult time building their village. This is even more true for parents raising a child with diverse needs.
Many factors can contribute to this feeling of isolation. These include different perspectives on parenting, cultural understanding of disability, or having made a choice like moving away from your support system for a job opportunity. It can even be that you’re trying to make friends with the parents of typical children who just can’t relate to your experience.
Fall is upon us, school has started and for children with learning challenges, it’s time to create IPPs (Individual Program Plans). If you are working together with your child’s education team to assist them with learning challenges, there should be one of these coming home soon.
It seems that once you become the parent of a school-aged child, you mark the passage of time less by the beginning of the calendar year and more by the first day of school. For each of us this brings a variety of feelings – excitement, fear, nervousness, apprehension, anticipation, relief. It’s a time of transition – getting back into or starting new routines, meeting new teachers, saying goodbye to old friends and looking forward to new ones. For some, it is new schools and maybe even moving to a new area.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder most often first presenting in childhood. It is characterized by symptoms such as difficulty maintaining focus; struggling to complete work or follow through with instructions; wandering off task; disorganization; excessive motor activity (fidgetiness, tapping, talking); interrupting; difficulty delaying gratification; and acting in an unsafe manner.
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