Strengths

Notice anything about the ways to get a natural high??

In the Dopamine section, these are the things which I have tended to over-do due to my attention differences (ADHD). I’m a dopamine chaser. I chase the wins regardless of the risk.

I’ve started medication this week and my excessive hunt for dopamine has reduced, as I feed it to myself instead.

As I push to find a balance within myself, it makes me think about Special educational needs and the sense that often, a need (difficulty) is generally an overdone strength.

So take attention and focus difficulties.. they are my biggest strength, but for me they are overdone and become a difficulty due to my neurology. So I’m using medication, but I would never want the dopamine hunter in me to go completely. It’s who I am.

So how can we start to reframe our children’s Special educational needs?

I often see in reports that autistic children are said to be like police officers. Ensuring rules are kept by everyone, and this can cause communication challenges with their peers.

So, how can we support them then to flourish with this strength and not turn it into a weakness? This is what we need from an EHCP section F.

What about Attention to detail, it is a huge strength but if overdone, it becomes more of a panic for perfection, and can induce anxiety.

So, what do our children need in terms of support and accommodations to help them really achieve within their strengths?

I’ve just taken my kids to Dartmoor in the rain. It suits their strengths. My children can be loud and playful, they are direct in their communication and they are strong leaders. They are passionate and determined to get a job done. They have huge amounts of energy.

Out on the moors my kids are all strength.. in other environments their strengths would be overdone and they can seem challenging.

Maybe we can grow and empower ourselves and others by starting to see some of our difficulties and needs as overdone strengths.

A few tweaks in terms of support, guidance, environmental accommodations and most importantly, our mindsets and we can start to build on our own and our children’s self esteem and really begin to thrive.