My Neurodivergent Kiddo Needs So Much Help…
I’ve gotten so many excellent questions recently from readers and listeners. These questions not only represent the very issues I hear about from many parents I work with, they also resonate with the struggles and worries I’ve faced in my own journey as the parent of a child with neurodiverse or twice-exceptional challenges.
Here is what one mother asked:
How do I balance my child’s needs with the needs of my other kids who sometimes feel shortchanged and resentful?
Are Your Neurotypical Children Neglected?
The special needs of a neurotypical child, especially the social and emotional needs, can consume a great deal of your time. This is one of the biggest challenges not only of homeschooling, but of parenting in general. The extent of the support a neurodiverse child needs can put a strain on family life as well as sibling relationships.
Maybe you’re dealing with feelings of jealousy over how much time you spend with one child while other children feel like they don’t get as much attention. May you’d actually really love to be able to spend special time with older siblings or younger siblings of your neurodiverse child but you don’t know how to fit one more thing into your daily tasks while working to meet the needs of the entire family.
How to Know What the Siblings of a Neurodiverse Child Really Need
Some children need a great deal of added attention or social interactions. Some children don’t. Some children thrive on lots of extracurricular and a variety of activities. Some children do well with more time in their own home to pursue their own individual interests and hobbies.
We never get beyond the point of needing to be students of our children – watching and observing them, asking good questions, and having open discussions with them about the strengths and weaknesses of family members and how they can be a positive influence in the family.
They more each child truly feels she has a safe space to share her own needs and concerns, the better you’ll be able to understand what are the most important ways you can support and love each child as the unique and special people they each are!
The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast Episode #185 – Help! My Neurodivergent Kid Needs So Much Help I Worry the Neurotypical Siblings are Neglected!
Do you find yourself spending lots of extra time supporting the social and emotional needs of your gifted, twice-exceptional, or otherwise neurodiverse kiddo and worry that your other kids are being neglected? Has the additional care and attention you’ve devoted to one child put a strain on sibling relationships?
If you’re facing this struggle, you’re not alone! Let’s talk about some practical strategies for evaluating the needs of the children (all of the children!) in your home and finding creative ways to meet those needs.
Links And Resources From Today’s Show:
- SPONSOR: CTC Math
- RLL #88: Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Kids with Jim Delisle
- The Learner’s Lab
- Meeting the Asynchronous Needs of Your Gifted Child
- A Conversation With Dr. Meg Meeker About The Unique Needs Of Our Children
- RLL #65: [Audioblog] Navigating Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Kids
- When One Child Has A Diagnosis And Their Siblings Are All Neurotypical
- RLL #102: A Conversation about Connection with Shawna Wingert
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