As it is, the job of being a parent is challenging. From having to keep up with a lot of the things your child is interested in to dealing with the way their personality evolves as they get older, there will always be things about being a parent that aren’t easy. However, other parents may find that taking care of their children can be extra difficult for other reasons.
It’s true that children are very rambunctious and full of energy to begin with. However, in some cases, there are children that have energy levels that go beyond the average child. If not that, some children can become a little more difficult to calm down or put at ease. A perfect example of this would be a child that has ADHD or autism.
Children that have ADHD or have autism can be more challenging to take care of. This is because they have specific needs that need to be met that may be more difficult compared to a child without these conditions. This isn’t to say that it will always be full of difficulties. However, there will really be days where you might feel extra frustrated.
Just like any other parent, you’ll still do what you can to ensure that you give the care that your child deserves. Sometimes, you’ll need to do things differently. You may also need a little help. Fortunately, we at edamama want to do what we can to help you. With that in mind, this article will discuss how you can deal with a child with autism or ADHD and how you can make it easier. That way, you’ll at least have some idea on how to go about it!
Autism, ADHD, and What They Are
We’ve come a long way when it comes to the body of knowledge made available to us when it comes to our children and parenting them. Thanks to advancements in things like developmental psychology and pediatrics, it’s become easier to tell when a child has autism or ADHD. What’s more, it’s also become easier to figure out how to go about it.
For example, when we talk about autism, we talk about a whole spectrum of things that this condition affects. More specifically, you talk about autism spectrum disorder (or ASD), which is a disability that affects the development of a person. This disability may affect things such as how one communicates, interacts, or behaves. When a child has ASD, they may have a hard time keeping eye contact with a person they’re talking to or be more uncomfortable in social situations compared to a child without ASD.
On the other hand, when you talk about ADHD, you’re aware that it generally means a child may have difficulty sustaining their attention during activities like school. They may also be more restless or fidgety, finding it difficult to stay put. As such, you can notice if a child may have signs of ADHD if they can’t sit through things like lessons in school or feel the need to just get up and wander around.
Whatever the case may be, having either of the two can still pose a challenge both to the child and their parents. For example, children with ADHD or autism may have a more difficult time navigating everyday life and the tasks that come along with it, such as with school or going out with family. Parents, on the other hand, may struggle with figuring out how to deal with their children and finding ways to make life more manageable for them.
Fortunately, there are ways to make things easier for both children and their parents. This can all begin by getting the professional help needed. In this case, a parent may want to see their child’s pediatrician.
When to See The Doctor
ADHD and autism are conditions that need to be diagnosed. That means you’ll need a doctor to tell you if your child does have either of these conditions. However, sometimes you may end up finding this out even if you don’t suspect that your child has either of the two. What do we mean by this?
You see, your child usually has routine visits to their pediatrician. From the day they’re born until they reach 19 years old, your child will be periodically seeing their pediatrician. Among things like routine vaccinations and checking their overall state of health, their pedia will also check their development. Also known as developmental milestones, the pediatrician will ask you to track your child’s activities. Things like how they’re able to communicate to what they’re physically able to do, their pedia will see if they’re developmentally at par with their age.
By tracking developmental milestones alone, your child’s pedia may be able to check if they may have some signs that may lead them to believe that your child may have something like autism. For example, one of the most common signs that may lead a pedia to believe your child may have autism would be if they have problems communicating. If your child may be unable to recite the alphabet, but be able to speak in coherent sentences, this deviation from the usual route that a child follows in language development may be a red flag. Their pedia may then refer you to get your child looked at by a developmental pediatrician.
However, there are also instances where your child may not really show signs when they’re still babies and toddlers. Other times, it may start to manifest when they go to school. Such is the case with ADHD. Sometimes, parents see that their child may be full of energy, yet not see anything wrong with it. After all, being hyper doesn’t necessarily mean they have ADHD.
When your child may struggle to pay attention or sit still for some time to accomplish a task, this may be a sign that they may have ADHD. If your child goes to school and their teacher tells you that they’ve observed that your child can’t sit still and fidgets a lot in their seat or that they find it hard to pay attention, this may also be another sign of ADHD. In this case, it’s also good to go to their pedia to talk about this.
Dealing With It
Once it’s confirmed that your child has autism or ADHD, there’s a lot of thoughts that can flood your mind. A lot of those thoughts may be filled with worry because you may already know how difficult things might be for you and your child. While it is true that it will be difficult, it’s also something that can be overcome and dealt with.
Thanks to the advent of science and research, dealing with autism and ADHD has become more manageable. This is because there are many studies that have looked at how one can handle and take care of children with these needs. So much so that there are special education (or SPED) schools that can help with children that have autism, for example. From speech pathologists and occupational therapists to non-traditional schools, there are many ways to help your child thrive despite their condition.
For children with ADHD, there’s also medication that they can be given to help them focus more. Of course, this is medication that can only get started at a certain age and be given with the proper prescription. But this means that you’ll be able to get a doctor to help you and your child through this too. So, you can rest easy knowing that you and your child won’t be struggling or be without help.
Of course, it will take a lot of time and effort, especially when your child’s just gotten diagnosed. However, you will have help. There will be people who specialize in these things that can help you figure out how to go about it. There will even be other parents who share the same struggles and obstacles who’ll be more than willing to help you figure out ways to make parenting easier. Whatever the case, you won’t be alone.
Moving Forward
Autism and ADHD are conditions that your child will have to deal with for the rest of their life. It’s scary to think about how they’ll be able to manage these things, especially on their own. However, it’s still something that they can learn to deal with. What’s more, it’s not something that should make them feel like they’re at a permanent disadvantage. It’s not something that you should feel too.
As a parent, the moment you find out your child is autistic or has ADHD, you’ll probably feel worried. That’s perfectly fine. However, you should still know that while it may take a lot of extra effort on your part, it’s something that you and your child can learn to navigate together. With all the information, medication, and research and studies done on these two conditions, we collectively have a better understanding of ADHD and autism. As such, we’re more than well equipped to learn how to make things work despite these conditions. So, ultimately, you should still have some hope and know that things will be okay.
While ADHD or autism may make things more challenging for your child, it shouldn’t be an obstacle for them to continue to take on the world and live a happy and fun life. With that in mind, you shouldn’t lose hope because it’s something that parents and children have been dealing with together and have been doing so successfully. All you really need is the right help and knowhow, and everything else will eventually follow.
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