\n
You don’t choose to have ADHD. Did you choose your eye color? Your date of birth? Nope! ADHD is something most people identify in early childhood. But! That doesn’t mean you have to let it run your life. There are loads of things people with ADHD can do very well at school and in their friendships. We need coaches to help us and these coaches can be teachers, psychologists, tutors and even your own parents!
\n
It takes a village to raise a child – it’s something many have heard before. However, many parents find themselves having a difficult time building their village. This is even more true for parents raising a child with diverse needs.
\nMany factors can contribute to this feeling of isolation. These include different perspectives on parenting, cultural understanding of disability, or having made a choice like moving away from your support system for a job opportunity. It can even be that you’re trying to make friends with the parents of typical children who just can’t relate to your experience.
\n
Fall is upon us, school has started and for children with learning challenges, it’s time to create IPPs (Individual Program Plans). If you are working together with your child’s education team to assist them with learning challenges, there should be one of these coming home soon.
\n
It seems that once you become the parent of a school-aged child, you mark the passage of time less by the beginning of the calendar year and more by the first day of school. For each of us this brings a variety of feelings – excitement, fear, nervousness, apprehension, anticipation, relief. It’s a time of transition – getting back into or starting new routines, meeting new teachers, saying goodbye to old friends and looking forward to new ones. For some, it is new schools and maybe even moving to a new area.
\nPage 2 of 12
Calgary’s Child Magazine © 2025 Calgary’s Child
