TPP 320: Dr. Karen Wilson on How (and When) to Talk to Kids About Their Diagnoses
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
39 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 6 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is a diagnosis and why does it matter for families?
I think that's usually one of the things that keeps parents from sharing that information with their kids is that many parents are afraid that when you're labeling a child that that child will be less willing to try. That it'll become a self fulfilling prophecy. They'll bl they'll say, Well, I can't do that because I have ADHD, or you know, I can't read because I have dyslexia. But in fact the opposite is true that giving your child an understanding of the nature of their struggles often provides relief and I've seen it in my practice and motivates that child to persist when things get tough.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Reaper, and I have a great episode for you today. One of the topics that comes up a lot in the TILD parenting community is how and when and if to talk to kids about their labels and diagnoses. So I invited clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Karen Wilson back to the show to get her thoughts on how parents can thoughtfully navigate this process with their kids. I know that there are concerns among many families that their child's self-esteem can be negatively impacted by a label, or that other people, including teachers, may treat a child differently if they know they have one or more diagnoses, especially because of the stigma associated with neurodifferences.
So this is what Karen and I get into demystifying the process and offering suggestions for approaching. these important conversations. So in this episode, Karen breaks down the kind of language we can use when talking with kids about their diagnoses, as well as how that conversation will likely continue to evolve as our kids get older. We also talked about how to navigate this process with a child or teen who is resistant to labels, why it's critical that we have all of these conversations from a foundation of prioritizing and recognizing strengths, and how to have this conversation in a household with neurotypical siblings. As you'll hear, I'm a big fan of Karen's work and an avid listener of her diverse thinking, different learning podcast.
But if you are unfamiliar with Karen, here's a little bit more about her. In addition to hosting her podcast, Dr. Karen Wilson is the director of West LA Neuropsychology and the founder of ChildNexus.com. She specializes in the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents. She has extensive experience evaluating children and adults who present with neurological, medical, and psychiatric disorders. Oh, one more thing about this episode. You'll hear me mention that I'm compiling a list of books and resources that can support parents in talking with their kids about their neural differences, as well as resources for kids themselves to explore. So to grab the PDF that I've put together, visit the show notes page at tiltparenting.com slash session three twenty.
And now here is my conversation with Karen. Hey Karen, welcome back to the podcast.
Hi, Debbie. I'm so glad to be back and talking with you again.
Yes. I'm excited. As we said before we started recording, I was just mentioning I've been wanting to have you back on the show. I'm a really big fan of your podcast and listeners, make sure you check out Karen's podcast as well. And I'll have links in the show notes page for that. But before we get into our topic today, which I'm very excited to do a deep dive with you about, could you just introduce yourself? Tell us what you do in the world, tell us about your show and your business. Business and how you move through the world.
Absolutely. So I am First and foremost a wife and a mom of an eight year old and a ten year old, which keeps me on my toes. And by work I'm a pediatric neuropsychologist. I've been Doing evaluations of kids who struggle with learning, with processing, with social emotional challenges. for going on seventeen years. So I've literally done hundreds of evaluations on kids and
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is a diagnosis and why does it matter for families?
0:00–5:36
2
How can parents explain a neurodevelopmental diagnosis to young children?
5:36–10:56
3
What language should be used as kids get older and understand their diagnosis better?
10:56–16:04
4
How can parents balance talking about strengths and challenges when discussing a diagnosis?
16:04–20:30
5
What strategies help when a child or teen resists labels or feels “otherized”?
20:30–24:18
6
How should families talk about diagnoses with neurotypical siblings?
24:18–29:22
7
How can parents empower kids to handle stigma and advocate for themselves?
29:22–34:08
8
Where can listeners find additional resources and connect with Dr. Karen Wilson?
34:08–39:53
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids