April is Autism Awareness Month, but for those caring for a child with autism, ADHD, bi-polar and other diagnoses, awareness is daily.
On this latest Connecting Faith, we welcome back educator, support group leader and advocate Mary Wangerin. She shares the story of her personal connection to this issue, fields your questions, and offers encouragement and insight to families of children with neuro-biological diagnoses. From parenting, to education, to church involvement – we gain practical insights from Mary Wangerin on Connecting Faith. Here’s where the conversation takes us.
An often-discussed topic for families dealing with a diagnosis is the right approach to medication. Mary says it’s important to remember that the medication isn’t designed to take away the diagnosis, but simply to help deal with the characteristics of that diagnosis. Finding the right dosage can be a matter of trial and error. When your child is taking a prescription, behavioral changes can be sudden.
A diagnosis can even impact sleeping patterns. It takes kids with certain disorders more time to fall asleep and to wake in the morning.
One of the key recommendations Mary makes is to get your child into a routine – sometimes a fairly rigid one at that. The thing that can really trouble them is a swift alteration to the norm. She says it’s important to warn them of any changes that are on their way.
Mary wants to help parents give their kids tools to fit in. She points to this video as a helpful source of information for adults wanting to bless kids with a diagnosis. Yes there continues to be prejudice against individuals with a diagnosis, but knowledge is power. Learning how we can help is essential.
