By Annie Taylor.
When our children are born we experience so many emotions, euphoria, joy, gratitude, and then sometimes fear. We are confronted with the amazing, mammoth task ahead of us, our responsibility to keep this small human being safe, guide them and teach them what they need to know for life’s journey. We want then to be healthy, happy, successful, independent, confidant and achieve all that they dream of. We want to provide them with all of the opportunities so they can do this and be there when they fall, fail or things don’t go to plan.
When a child is diagnosed with anything that means they have additional needs in everyday life and in the classroom, it can be a shock to the whole family, including siblings. This includes many disorders and syndromes that affect a child’s behaviour and how they see the world. It can be very confronting for parents or carers and overwhelming. Some parents may feel a sense of relief that they now know what they’re dealing with. Some feel validation because they knew there was something going on.
Often there is grief attached to the diagnosis. We are often grieving the expectations we had of our child, the hopes and dreams that may now need to be adjusted. That’s all it is though, a new challenge and adjustments of life as we know it. The new challenge includes adjusting what you expect of your child to reflect their strengths and weaknesses.
Help them to discover their passions and what they’re good at. Celebrate all of the little milestones and achievements while you’re waiting for the big ones. The challenges can seem insurmountable at times. Break it down and tackle things one step at a time. Stop and smell the roses and enjoy the good things. Appreciate your child in their entirety, a unique, amazing human being. There really is no one else like them………….
