Should You Tell Your Child About Her Diagnosis?
Instead of whether, the question should be when and how
I was sitting on the sofa, computer perched on my lap, when my daughter burst through the door. “Learning disability?” she said. “Apparently I have a learning disability?”
She’d been to the doctor for her annual physical and when the visit was over, he offered to let my daughter hold the printed summary of her visit. It’s a sheet I can give to her school, which lists her allergies, vaccinations, and medical conditions. We are a pretty open family, and nobody thought anything of it. It was this sheet of paper she thrust into my face in response to my dear-in-the-headlights expression.
I looked and sure enough, in black and white, read the words: Learning Disability — Nonverbal; ADHD; Anxiety. Along with the rest of her medical diagnoses, all in one neat little block of text.
My daughter’s struggles are nothing new to her. She often remarks that she has far too many service providers: a special pediatrician to help her deal with school stuff, a special “feelings therapist” outside of school, not to mention all the service providers she sees inside of school. She knows she has trouble with math, and with making friends, and with focusing when there are a lot of distractions around.
