How do I explain the concept of disability to my son?

Klipper
Klipper Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
edited July 2021 in Families and carers
How do I explain the concept of disability to my son (DS 11) who is starting to understand his differences and how ADHD is affecting him? He said to me the other day that he's not disabled, and he hates it when I treat him like he is. I've tried to support consistent structure and limit verbal instructions, to prevent overwhelming him. I've always been open about how everyone (even me!) needs help from others, and that asking for help is a good thing. Because I don't have a lot of support from my wife for this, it gets more challenging, given my emotional disregulation, especially before I take my medication, and when I'm tired (which is always- more so when there's drama).

Comments

  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,611 Championing
    Hello @Klipper

    Welcome to the community, good to see you join us. 

    Sorry to hear of what you are going through with your son, I think it's something that many parents will have gone through at some point in their life when raising a disabled child. 

    It's important to let your son refer to himself however he wants, but of course as his parent you will be doing everything you can to ensure he receives the support he needs during this very crucial period in his life. If he isn't comfortable with calling himself disabled at this time then that's fine, likewise if he never sees himself as that way then it's completely up to him.

    Do you think he doesn't like being called disabled because he has negative connotations of that in his mind? That can be quite common with many young people growing up and it can impact self-confidence, so I understand why you want to educate him about the meaning of being disabled, and that it's not a bad thing or something that makes a person weaker (as is sometimes said).

    You might be interested in reading about Scope's Parents Connect sessions, they offer an opporutniy for parents of a disabled child to meet with peers and gain support for what they are going through.

    What support is your family and your son receiving to manage his condition? 

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