Or – How Quirky Works for Us
Neuro-diversity in our family is a kind of alphabet soup with definitions that may or may not be defined in the DSM –
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Mood Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Fetal Alcohol Effect
- Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
- Social Anxiety
- Generalized Anxiety
- Clinical Depression
- Attachment Disorder
Yeah, I know. It looks like a lot. But it’s who we are. And with each one of those diagnoses or neuro-diversities comes challenges, but they also come with unique strengths.
No, really. I’m not being glib or sugary. There really are unique strengths that pair right along with each of those challenges.
For example, the attention to detail that can make living with ASD very stressful, also makes the child extremely good at “noticing” important things. They are excellent at cleaning and actually find relief from stress by putting things in order. Yes, some extra chores get done that way. đŸ˜€
The child with NAS will always have tighter muscles than other children, and this can lead this child to struggle with flexibility, but it also makes this child incredibly strong and fast.
The child with ADHD has a hard time focusing and keeping their body still and on task. This can obviously be a challenge for a variety of reasons, and would especially be so in a brick and mortar school setting, but this child is so incredibly gifted with their body and does everything, including learning tasks, with speed and energy. That energy just needs to be honed and trained.
I will continue to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of how our family functions with so many invisible disabilities, so I thought it would be good to start with the positive perspective that neuro-divergent is part of who we are, and gives us strengths and character that we would not have if our family were without the challenges.
If you’d like to listen to a little of our family’s story, you can hear me as a guest on the Homeschool Loftcast episode here.
