Talking About the Diagnosis

[wasabimom]

Hi there,
Our 10 (11 in June) year old son was diagnosed in October with ADHD and severe LDs. He has been in a special education class with partial integration since grade 1. He will be entering middle school (grade 6-8) in September. We recently had an IPRC (Identification, Placement and Review Committee) last month. His exceptionality is Learning Disability with a Placement in Special Education class with more intensive support. We won’t know which school he will be going to until the beginning of May. We haven’t told him yet on his diagnosis as we would like to wait to see which school he will be attending so we can make a relatively easy transition. He talks of going to the local middle school where his friends go. We plan to tell him that he has many strengths and that the local school can’t offer the environment of which he learns so greatly and that he has been accepted into a program where few can get in.

He was also born with a cleft lip and palate so has had speech and language delays. He’s very keen on history and loves his Lego, Minecraft, Star Wars etc. He has numerous close friends and will be doing baseball for the first time.

What suggestions or tips could you provide to for telling our son his ADHD and it be a positive thing. As I mentioned he has been in a special education class since grade 1 so the idea of being in another class won’t be an issue.

Many thanks

[Penny Williams]

I always support telling kids about their ADHD diagnosis. They are likely feeling different and “broken” and the diagnosis explains that. Here’s some expert advice on how to talk about it:

Explaining ADHD to Your Child

Sample Dialogue for Talking About ADHD

Penny
ADDconnect Moderator, Author & Mentor on Parenting ADHD, Mom to teen w/ ADHD, LDs, and autism

[wasabimom]

Thank you! Thing is he doesn’t feel different or broken. He has close buddies and they don’t seem to see him as different or broken. We would just like to tell him as it will help him understand how and why he learns things differently or why he gets frustrated with things that look rather simplistic. I will definitely check out the above articles.

Many thanks

[Penny Williams]

It’s really fantastic that he doesn’t feel different or broken. That shows that a lot of people around him are doing the right things. Of course, telling him about his ADHD can also come from a place of honesty and being open with your child. 😉

Penny
ADDconnect Moderator, Author & Mentor on Parenting ADHD, Mom to teen w/ ADHD, LDs, and autism

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