So many of our children and teens who are struggling with mental health also have neurodiversity.
If you haven’t come across that word, it means someone who’s brain is wired differently to the majority of us. It might be ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism etc…just a bit different from the majority of the world.
That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them…no no no!
Just that most of the systems we have in place that reasonably cater well for most kids, like schools, exams, social situations don’t give them their best chance to shine. and can also cause them allot of stress and anxiety.
I’m the dad of two neuro-diverse daughters…my eldest has ADHD and processing challenges and the other ADHD and strongly suspected autism (we’re just waiting for the diagnosis to put on paper what is totally obvious).
We’ve supported our eldest through some tough times and it’s just so amazing to see her now training and competing in Muay Thai boxing and studying at one of the UK’s best universities (she was predicted no GCSEs). GO GIRL!!!!!!! Proud dad alert.
So it put a smile on my face this morning to read about 24-year-old American tennis player Jenson Brooksby open up about his autism.
In an article on the BBC website he says he had been diagnosed on the severe end of the autism spectrum as a young child, and was non-verbal until the age of four.
But he found the environment in which his natural gifting was suited
His chance to shine.
“Sport was a big release for me. If I sit for a long time I can have a lot of energy bottled up, and so being a very active kid really let it out,” he said. “I always wanted to train to try to be good at something. Even at that age, I think I had that mindset of competing and to be good at something.”
I know that every child is born with a gifting.
If your child is neurodiverse, you need to be aware that normal school might not be best suited to them and even do some quite profound damage.
Be brave, support your child to find their gifting and the environment that brings it out.
Do so and they will thrive.