Have you ever wondered why some children seem to struggle with schoolwork, doing daily tasks, and interacting with others, especially in social settings? As a caregiver, teacher, or parent, you’ve probably observed that every child is different and has different strengths and struggles.
Now, these difficulties may be more severe in neurodiverse children—those who have dyslexia, ADHD, ASD, or other neurological disorders. It’s important to give them holistic support and proper assistance so they will genuinely thrive rather than just getting by each day.
In this short read, you’ll find out the importance of giving holistic support to a child with neurodiversity and how to help them with FlowMinder’s latest tech.
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What is neurodiversity?
Have you ever heard someone describe a child as ‘neurodiverse’?
As the name implies, neuro means brain or mind, while diversity means different or unique—as we like to call it at FlowMinder. When someone refers to someone as “neurodiverse,” they typically mean the person has dyslexia, ASD (autism spectrum disorder), or ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder).
Neurodiversity, or neurodivergent, is a popular concept used to describe people’s brain differences and how it impacted their brains work. The idea is that there’s no “correct” way for the brain to work.
The awesome idea of neurodiversity embraces the uniqueness of human brains and minds. Instead of seeing differences as defects, it welcomes them. In other words, there’s no “correct” way for the brain to work, promoting the idea that a neurotypical brain—or one that is “normal”—is not better or worse than a neurodivergent or neurodiverse one.
Understanding neurodiversity
Imagine an ADHD child who is incredibly creative and energetic but finds it difficult to concentrate. How about an autistic child who may have an amazing memory but finds social circumstances difficult?
How do you support them as a parent, teacher, or caregiver?
The first step in giving them the assistance they require is acknowledging these distinctive characteristics. And the next step is giving them holistic support.
A holistic approach to supporting a child with neurodiversity involves giving care and support to the emotional, physical, social, and academic aspects of the child’s development. In short, creating a supportive environment that caters to the specific requirements of neurodiverse children is essential to their overall well-being.
The Importance of giving holistic support to neurodiverse children
In general, providing holistic support to neurodiverse children is important because it includes all areas of their development—Physical, social, emotional, and educational.
Here’s why giving holistic support is important:
1. Provides a structured environment
Imagine trying to get through your day without knowing what to do next or what comes up next—it would be stressful, right? Now, a consistent routine and order help a neurodiverse child feel secure. How?
Changing your child’s routine and schedule all the time can cause stress, anxiety, frustration, and possible emotional storms. Following a consistent routine makes them feel in control, secure, and happy. Also, it makes tracking your child’s progress a lot easier. A visual schedule can be especially helpful, providing clear expectations for each part of the day.
2. Enhances social and emotional well-being
Children who are neurodiverse frequently have higher levels of stress and anxiety. They can understand and control their emotions when they receive emotional support through techniques like emotion identification, deep breathing, and mindfulness. Their general emotional well-being is enhanced, and a sense of security is created.
3. Improves learning and academic success
Learning tactics designed to meet the needs of neurodiverse children include customized learning plans (ILPs) and multimodal learning approaches. These techniques build a passion for learning in these kids—helping them understand and recall things in greater detail. As a result, they perform better academically.
4. Helps build social skills and relationships
Learning social skills and providing opportunities for positive social interactions are essential for neurodiverse children who may have trouble interacting with others and communicating. They can cooperate with others, form friendships, and handle social situations more skillfully when they develop these abilities.
5. It helps meet specific physical and sensory needs
A lot of children with neurodiversity have needs. When it comes to their comfort and ability to concentrate—it can be unpredictable, and they can be easily triggered or distracted. This can be easily resolved by designing sensory-friendly spaces and offering the right sensory aids. It is essential to attend to their needs if we are to promote their general growth and welfare.
6. Holistic support offers independence and life skills
Children with neurodiverse traits who receive holistic support are taught fundamental life skills—including time management, emotional control, and problem-solving. Their independence and ability to confidently handle different situations depend heavily on these skills.
7. It helps empower families and communities
A holistic approach builds a child’s strong support system by involving parents, teachers, and the community. This cooperative endeavor guarantees consistent help in various environments and equips families with the expertise and resources necessary to champion their child’s needs.
How to give holistic support to a neurodiverse child
Understanding a neurodiverse child’s specific needs and offering them complete care and support are essential to their well-being. Here are a few tips you can start with:
Creating consistent routines and order
Having a consistent routine and order in place for a neurodiverse child will greatly reduce anxiety and help your child know what to expect each day. For instance, a child with ASD or ADHD may feel overwhelmed by changes, causing anxiety. However, some level of consistency in their routine and schedule can provide a sense of structure, security, and safety.
In reality, maintaining a consistent routine and order for your child may be overwhelming—we totally get you!
That’s why FlowMinder introduced an app that can aid your child in managing their daily routine, activities, and most importantly, their emotions—because when the child knows what to expect or do next, they’re calmer.
Creating sensory-friendly environments
Children who are neurodiverse or neurodivergent have sensory sensitivities that can impact their ability to focus and feel comfortable, making it a lot easier for a little noise to distract and trigger them.
You can adjust the lighting, reduce the noise around them, and give them sensory tools like fidget toys to help them return to focus. For instance, a child with autism may benefit from a quiet and relaxing corner, with soft lighting to pull back to when feeling overstimulated by noise.
Encourage emotional self-control
In general, children can get super emotional really fast—throw lots of tantrums just to express the emotions they feel. Whether a child is neurodiverse or neurotypical, understanding how to manage their emotions is essential for the child’s overall well-being.
So, when it comes to managing emotions, you can help a neurodiverse child by teaching them techniques like;
✔ Mindfulness meditation,
which involves the child sitting quietly and concentrating on their breathing, or listening to a soothing voice that guides them through calming imagery.
✔ Practices for deep breathing
✔ Using an emotion chart,
kids can mark or point to different emotions, such as happiness, sadness, anger, or fear.
✔ Another effective technique you can try is using an app to manage their emotions.
The FlowMinder app features guided activities to help kids learn how to regulate their emotions better and help them relax. It also has exercises and tools for emotional regulation. All these techniques can help with better emotional communication, anxiety, and stress management.
Leveraging technology to provide support
When it comes to helping neurodiverse children, technology can be an extremely helpful tool, with several features available on apps to help kids, parents, and teachers. You can use apps like FlowMinder to;
☞ Keeping an eye on the child’s behaviors and progress
Yes, monitoring a child’s development and behavior is essential to making informed decisions about their support.
With FlowMinder’s extensive tracking features, you can keep an eye on the child’s progress, observe repeated patterns, and adjust your plans if needed.
☞ Providing resources that Are tailored to your child’s needs
No doubt, every neurodiverse child’s needs may not be the same. However, technology can offer guidance and resources tailored to the needs of each child—because empowering their minds is an effective strategy.
FlowMinder also offers personalized recommendations and resources, to make sure the support given to each child is useful and effective.
Join a community for moral support
Indeed, we admire your strength and courage to keep going and provide the help you can, but you’re not alone. You certainly need a strong and consistent support system—remember, it takes a village to raise a child, including the unique ones. As parents, caregivers, or teachers—you can join support groups, and raise community awareness about neurodiversity.
You can join one on FlowMinder to make it so much easier. At FlowMinder, it’s about building trust and promoting collaboration. Also, this community is all about building connections among children, parents, and every individual passionate about a child’s education and emotional stability, regardless of their neurological makeup.
Bottom line
Certainly, providing holistic support to neurodiverse children is important for their overall development and well-being. This means addressing their emotional, physical, social, and educational needs. Embracing this approach can help neurodiverse children not just cope, but truly flourish.
Apps like FlowMinder can help, offering features like scheduling, mood regulation, task management, reward system learning programs, a supportive community, and lots more.
Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of a community that creates a compassionate and accepting environment for these children and their families. Download FlowMinder app and take the first step.