It’s Time to Learn More

October is ADHD and Learning Disabilities Awareness month. That may seem like just another nod to increase awareness, which is good, but I encourage you and your child to take it as an opportunity to learn more and assess whether enough support is being provided.

Many students don’t want to feel different than their peers, or may not know that it is not typical to spend such long hours struggling to get their schoolwork completed. So, they just put their head down and try to plow through. Inevitably, that will catch up with them in lower grades, increased frustration levels, and may contribute to decreased self-esteem and anxiety.

I propose that you use the rest of this month to begin learning more from some of the many resources that are widely available. 

For example, many people are not aware of the emotional dysregulation that often accompanies ADHD. It may be harder for your child to manage their emotions or not react with an outburst when they perceive something to be upsetting. Their response may seem out of proportion. It is helpful to learn more about why that may be happening and what to do to help.

I have been listening to short (10 minutes) talks about ADHD this month and I think you and your family will find them helpful as a place to start: https://add.org/tadd-talks-2022/

I especially recommend the talk from Dr Sharon Saline on Managing Frustrations and Big Emotions, recorded on October 13th.

Here are a few other resources: 

https://www.ldonline.org/

https://chadd.org/awareness-month/

https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/

There are also many great books available, so find what works for you to learn a bit more about areas of challenge for your child. Your entire family will likely benefit!

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