It's hard enough for us as parents to deal with some of the diagnoses specialists throw around. But what do you do when your child hears those big words and wants to know just what they mean? A parent posting on the Parenting Special Needs Forum wishes her daughter's neurologist hadn't used the term "mental retardation" in the 16-year-old's presence. Writes mistletoekisses:
"Now, she is asking what it means when he says she is MR. If I don't explain it JUST SO, it will destroy her as she is soooo sensitive, literal, and takes things very personally (like "I am a failure" -- breaks my heart and we constantly praise her). Has anyone had to deal with this and how do you tell your precious child she is mentally challenged and how did you approach it? How did it go?? Any suggestions??? I am really terrified I will mess this up and do more harm than good, but I have never lied to her (told her as much as I felt she could understand/handle), but she's bluntly asking about this."
Do you have some advice for this parent on explaining a potentially hurtful diagnosis in an empowering way? Respond to mistletoekisses's forum post and share your experience.
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