Thanks to popular apps like Tik Tok and instagram, we have seen a rise in the language surrounding what it means to be neurodivergent and neurotypical. But what does that actually mean? And how can we actively support the people in our lives who struggle with the side effects of being neurodivergent - especially when it comes to our kids?
At the most basic level, neurodivergence refers to any factor that makes us think differently than the “norm” (if there is such a thing!). Popular examples of neurodivergence include ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, OCD, and dyslexia among many others.
The question that we get most often as practitioners who work with children is, “how can I best support my child with X neurodivergence?” This usually comes after many months or years of frustration trying standard methods and just not seeing progress.
The important thing to remember is that neurodivergent kids think differently than neurotypical kids, therefore, we as adults are responsible for adjusting our methods to better help our children learn, grow and communicate effectively.
People can often fall into the trap of thinking that neurodivergence only affects school or work performance, however, it also affects many aspects of home life, sense of self, and family dynamic. This can lead to feeling like we don’t understand our children, that nothing is working, and further down the line - that this is our fault. It can be a source of incredible frustration.
What questions do we as parents need to consider when parenting neurodivergent children?
So what can we do to be more effective?
How can we better understand how neurodivergence affects our child at home, school, in the family system, and beyond?
How can we adjust our ways of thinking and approaching situations to better cater to our children’s unique needs?
Our new E-Course coming out in July will cover all of these basic topics. It will provide an overview into what neurodivergence can look like, how it affects kids both at home and in school settings, and what we can tangibly do to help. As with everything in life, the first step is to gather a better understanding so that we can approach individual circumstances from a position of knowledge, not fear or frustration. And we at The Vine Wellness Group are here to help! If you'd like to be one of the first to know when this course is released, please sign up for our newsletter HERE on our website.
Written By Madison Karasek, MA, LPC-Associate
Supervised by Celeste Inman, MEd, LPC-S, RPT-S
Want to learn more about Madison and her specialties? Visit her bio HERE
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