My 13-year-old son has ADHD. To look at him, he is like every other gangly, teenage boy. You cannot tell just by looking at him, that he has a neurological disorder. His behavior can be outrageous, impulsive, and downright daredevil scary (to a parent) when he doesn’t take his medication.
When he was younger, I’ve had people approach me and tell me that I need to discipline him better, that I was a terrible parent for not teaching him manners.
It would become especially hurtful when I would tell these well-meaning people that he had ADHD and they would respond, “He just needs to be disciplined better, that’s all that is wrong with him.” Yes, I received these responses from members of my family as well.
So I am especially thankful to have been chosen to take part in a discussion this week with the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and Women Online | The Mission List to discuss ways to use social media and blogging to bring awareness to a variety of topics about learning disabilities.
So I am reaching out to my readers and asking them this question –
What are some of the ways that we can educate people about learning disabilities in children to help them understand that these are neurological disorders, not purely behavioral?
I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave your thoughts and comments below! Tell us about your own experiences or that of a friend, and even if you do not know of anyone with a learning disability, let us know how we can reach you to help you understand that learning disabilities ARE neurological disorders and not purely behavioral!
Thanks for participating!
