March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. When a child is diagnosed with any type of developmental disability, it can feel overwhelming and scary for parents as far as choosing the best options for services and supports, where to find them, and even whether to tell the child they have a disability in the first place.
Some parents may hesitate to let their child know they have a disability because some may think, “He isn’t ready to deal with something like that. We want him to have a normal” life. Or “We don’t want to hurt his self-esteem. We don’t want him to have to focus on how different he is. We can tell him when he gets older.”
While it can be uncomfortable and difficult for parents to have to both come to terms with and explain to their child that they are different from their peers, I have found that having this discussion early on ultimately worked better for both me and my parents. Being told about my disability young helped me to be able to accept myself for who I was as I grew older, which was no easy road, but it helped me understand why I needed more help than other kids and not have to wonder about it. I was also able to develop self-advocacy skills beginning at a very young age as opposed to having to learn those types of things at an older age because my parents never told me I was different.
Although this can be hard to do for parents, I think if parents can, in time learn to accept their child’s diagnosis, this will also help that child learn to do the same and hopefully learn to see himself in a positive light. If you are a parent of a child with a newly diagnosed developmental disability and find that you are struggling emotionally with coming to terms with his or her diagnosis, please reach out to someone or seek help from a licensed mental health provider in your area.
Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and are intended for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the official stance of IRCA and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, educational, or therapeutic advice.