Parenting is a tough task. It is very difficult when the child is having some special needs. The agony of the parents is increased when the society is not supportive. Education of a child is a major concern of a parent. Each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically, mentally, and socially. The responsibility of the parents is to help their kids meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing a learning environment. Their role is to prevent, eliminate, and overcome obstacles that might keep our kids, regardless of any disabilities from fully learning and actively participating in school and society as a whole. They should provide an appropriate education that meets the needs of that child. It will be practically impossible to find such an institution which gives absolute individual care. The most effective remedy for the improvement of the kids is the appropriate child-rearing methods. It is more important than any institutional support, educational intervention and individual counselling.
Labelling is an excruciating aspect for the parents. Obviously, parents don’t want their children labelled. They only need their children recognized for who they are, as an individual, with their unique set of strengths and weaknesses. They go for evaluation only to get the services. It should be understood in a different sense. When we go to a doctor for a physical ailment there should be a diagnosis for treatment. This has to be considered in the same way. A name/label/title defines something or it gives us convenience. We don’t describe a person ‘heavier than their average weight expectation’ but rather we say s/he is fat. It is convenient also. It is much easier to say a child has ADHD than to say they have trouble focusing during lengthy verbal lessons, often lose their belongings, and seem to need to move more than the average child. Whatever the word is that is used, labels are often used as a way to describe characteristics in just one word. The problem with this is that it creates stereotypes for what that word means and then people use that word to insult or describe others and it creates stigmas. Labelling is done as an excuse to explain the behaviour of a child so as to prove the teacher is not responsible for the child’s behaviour or not to put additional effort/individual care from the side of the institution.
The terminology gets misused, people get offended and then we're looking for alternate ways to describe something that will be less offensive. For eg, the term mentally retarded has been changed to mentally challenged, then to intellectually challenged then to differently-abled. Here we find a positive shift in the terminology. When the new label gets misused, stereotypes occur, and again we are looking for a new way to describe the same thing. Parents need not worry about the label. Either it may be a technical term for diagnosis by the professionals or stereotypical description by the society, as a way to describe their unique characteristics or needs, your child is still your child. Please don’t be hesitant in availing psychological services because of labelling. These standards may change from year-to-year and person to person. The same person may be diagnosed differently with different doctors and advised different treatment plans. These are not unchanged laws rather mere constructs created by humans. If parents feel that their kids need no support there is absolutely no need to go for an evaluation. This decision should not be on emotional grounds.
Parents can do the basic screening when it is done analytically. Parents know their children better than anyone else and have the most complete understanding of a child's physical, social, developmental, and family history. Parents are the only adults in the educational process who have been and will continue to be deeply involved throughout the child's school career; and while they may not be educators themselves, they bring their years of experience in other professions and aspects of life to the process. If parents feel the need for a professional intervention, then they may proceed which will give a diagnosis. We should understand the difference between a label and a diagnosis. A diagnosis is a medical condition and can be permanent but a label is arbitrary. If it is diagnosed, Parents should be educated about the disorder and its implications. It helps parents to cope effectively with their child’s difficult behaviour and their own reactions to it. Parents should be given a set of general principles for child-rearing that are appropriate for children with specific behavioural issues. Though the management of kids with behavioural issues or learning difficulties is a collective endeavour, the role of parents is crucial. They are the ones who suffer, they are the ones who are genuinely interested, and they are the ones who are benefactors… There is no one as interested in and motivated to see children succeed and thrive than their own parents. While kids attend school about six hours a day, they only have a few minutes of teachers' undivided attention in a class. Parents have the opportunity to sit side-by-side with them, working through homework and other learning activities for extended periods. Best therapists are PARENTS. Best Hospital is HOME. Best Medicines are Positive PSYCO-PHYSIOLOGICAL Stimulations. Yes, a parent can do a lot and this will bring a change!