Sometimes as parents it’s easy to become immersed in the
needs of the child who has NLD, but it’s important to remember to take time to
spend with each of the children as well as your spouse. This doesn’t necessarily mean each child and
spouse will get equal amount of time, but as long as you are doing something
the children enjoy. Not only should you
spend time with other family members, but there needs to be a time to yourself
so you are able to “recharge your batteries”.
Three important items you need to
maintain as a parent is health, perspective, and attitude. Without these it will be harder to meet the
needs of the child with NLD. There are
often times external pressures such as other telling you you’re being over
protective with the child, and telling you how to raise your child. It can be hard to not fall into the
temptation of others, but it’s important to remember you’re the parent and you
know what’s best for your child. When
raising a child with NLD, or any other disability, there are going to be stress
in the family life. When there is a
crisis it’s extremely valuable and recommended to have a support system where
you or someone in the family can go to and talk and work through the
stress.
Children with NLD thrive on routine and predictability, and
deal with change horribly. These children
in order to cope with change need preparation and lots of information. “You’ll need to let them now well ahead of
time what the change or event will be, exactly when it will occur, the
duration, and what will happen in detail” (Tanguay, 2001). It’s important to talk to the child with NLD
about their concerns and all else don’t try and change them but love what makes
them unique.
I know I have been focusing most of my topics and research
on children with NLD, but I did find a youtube video on a lady name Laura
Paxton who has NLD. She created an
acronym OCTOPUS- Organization, Coping Strategies, Transportation, Order,
Perspective, Understanding, and Simplify.
Laura briefly talks about what she does in each of these
categories. I find this video
informational and helpful to someone who has NLD or wants to know about
NLD. Below is a link to the video if you
would like to view.
This post can go along with your previous post. If a family member is stressed, the verbal and physical gestures will not reflect on how that family member might really feel. If it is more negative because of stress, this would cause more stress on the child I assume. The video you provided could be very helpful for parents. It is nice to see that this particular mother is reaching out trying to help others that might feel the same way as her. Good post!!
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