Parent-Child Bond
These are the moments between ADHD & motherhood
Parenting through the early childhood years!
Because it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, parenting is HARD!
Especially parenting as a Neurodivergent family.
From pacifier to potty training, let’s make this road as smooth as possible for you so that you can enjoy that little nugget of yours as much as humanly possible.
- Do you have concerns about your child’s development?
- Does your child struggle with transitions & limits, which result in big reactions and meltdowns?
- Does your child struggle with sleep? Guessing calming down in-general is hard too?
If you have concerns about your child, I know how helpless that feeling can be.
It is challenging and overwhelming not knowing what to focus on or where to start.
In our therapy sessions, we work together to foster your child’s social-emotional development, including emotional regulation, executive functioning skills and much more.
3 key areas we support you as a Neurodivergent parent or a parent worried about their child having ADHD and/or being Autistic.
Attunement:
What is attunement? Why does it matter to develop this skill as a parent? What does it help support?
Attunement is when we notice and match another person’s energy/mood.
For example:
When you tickle you baby and they turn their head away, this is telling us it is too much for your baby. We need to read this cue and stop. When we show that we understand what they are communicating to us, it is telling them that they matter. We respect them and they learn that it is safe to tell us how they feel. Pretty important stuff huh!
Attunement supports:
Building the foundation for self-worth, resiliency & emotional intelligence.
Yes, even as babies & toddlers can foster these skills. It’s actually the best time because it’s when they are the most impressionable.
Why it’s not so easy as it sounds:
As an ADHDer, we can be pretty expressive sometimes and high energy, which that energy can be observed in your baby who has an undeveloped nervous system. Meaning, their body is ready for too much all at once.
Another area that can be difficult is related to getting overly excited when your baby does something. This can lead to praising “results” and then pleasing behavior. This is so hard and honestly, can be a daily struggle. However, trying to focus on effort instead of results more than not helps.
Quick tip:
This area can be difficult but can also actually be a strength of Neurodivergent individuals. We can have exceptional emotional attunement, which can also come up as a mother’s intuition. Therefore, in working with me we can prepare around areas that might be difficult and highlight ways to call in your strengths to make things easier for you.
Regulation:
What is emotional regulation? Why does it matter? How can we support regulation?
Regulation is the development of self-expression & is supported within the context of the parent-child relationship. Which means, first, we need to learn to co-regulate with a caregiver before we can manage our feelings.
Regulation supports:
This is where really learning how to manage your own stress, and emotional reactivity can be extremely beneficial for your child’s development in the long run.
I know you might be thinking if you haven’t been able to manage your own regulation so far, what makes me think we can do that now when you are sleep deprived. Great question! It’s never too late and with the right guidance, managing your emotional regulation is possible.
Quick tip:
Taking a holistic & whole body-brain approach to the nervous system has proven to be very effective in managing one’s emotional regulation. In working together, we’ll create a roadmap of regulation tips and tricks so that you can feel prepared in how to support your own and your child’s regulation.
Why it’s not so easy as it sounds:
Not going to lie, this can be really hard because we can get easily overwhelmed by the noise of a baby, the smells, clutter and constantly being touched.
One of the hardest parts with a Neurodivergent brain is the constant stimulation. Mom, mom, mom.. in a span of 10 sec and you don’t have time to think to yourself. This can be very challenging and dysregulating.
Quick tip:
Therefore, knowing what sets off you and your child’s emotional dysregulation can help you be in preventable mode, at least part of the time.
Joint Engagement:
What is joint engagement? Why does it matter? How can we support joint engagement at home?
Joint Engagement is when we tie attunement & regulation together and both people-in this case you and your baby- are mutually enjoying one another, sometimes referred to as delighting.
Joint engagement supports:
Learning how to follow directions, interact for longer periods of time, and the ability to shift attention. All key areas that can be difficult for Neurodivergent kids and adults.
When this can be difficult is when we have a baby that is fussy, not sleeping well, has colic or other challenges because rarely are they in a place to engage. This can also be difficult if our own mental, physical or emotional health is taking away our energy to engage.
Why it’s not as easy as it sounds:
For me, this was difficult at times when I had too much on my mind, or the play my son wanted to do was boring and I struggled sitting still.
However, we can focus on our strengths as a Neurodivergent parent and be intentional about joint engagement during those times that are easier for you.
Quick tip:
Taking your child’s lead is a great way to initiate opportunities for joint engagement.
One of the hardest parts as a Neurodivergent parent can be holding in mind all the things you want to focus and support your child on. Let alone when the last bowel movement was and goodness when was the last shower you had?
It’s A LOT!
Having a guide to support you can help you feel more organized. In return you’ll be less hard on yourself for what you forgot to do, didn’t do, did do but made things worse. 🙂 I got you mama!
If you would like to be in the preventative place with your child, you have come to the right place. I don’t believe in the “wait and see approach.” It is said that the first 3-5 years of life 80% of brain development occurs. Why not gain key child development skills that can help set your child up for as much success as possible. In working with me, I pull for years of learning from other disciplines too such as early childhood education, Occupational, Speech, and Physical Therapy. Let’s get started now so that you don’t have to spend hours wasted trying to learn things on your own. Hit the I Am Ready button and I’ll see you on the inside.
However you identify and whether you are the birth person or witnessing birth, trying to conceive, pregnant or facing fertility struggles. While I specialize in women and children with ADHD, I believe that everybody deserves to be understood, supported and have a space where their experiences are valued.