The behavior of children is subject to a multitude of “labels” these days. The health care professionals, teachers in school and just about anyone who interacts with children is looking to fix each child under a convenient label. Autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), slow learner, twice exceptional, and gifted are a few such labels that are bandied about. How do you as a homeschooling parent handle a child who has been labeled?
Each Child is an Individual
No two individuals are alike and this is true for children as well. If one of your children is shy and retiring, the other may seem more boisterous and active. This does not mean that either of them is not normal. Human behavior parameters are judged on what is acceptable in social situations. So as long as your children are able to interact with other people in a normal manner, they are considered normal and should not be tagged with any “label”.
What if a “label” exists
Some medical condition or intelligence test may throw up a label that actually fits your child. Now what do you do? The first reaction of a child who is labeled is a need for isolation. They feel that they are not a part of the normal society and they need to hide who they are. in some cases they even hide their abilities so as to appear normal and fit in with the crowd. As the homeschool parent cum teacher, you need to ensure that your child is at ease with the label he has been nominated with. Let him accept it as a part of life.
Don’t expect miracles
Even if your child has been labeled gifted or talented or whatever other term used medically, you as the parent must not expect the child to be perfect all the time. There will be a desire to push the child to his limit to see just how well he can perform, but this will just add pressure and stress the child out. Instead allow the child to explore his limits on his own. Tell him that its okay not to be perfect all the time.
