How To Celebrate Neurodiversity Celebration Week In Your Homeschool
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations with the opportunity to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week (neurodiversityweek.com)
Different, Not Less
I am different, not less.
Temple Grandin
Being different is beautiful.
If we were all alike, the world would be a pretty dull place.
Unfortunately, not everyone shares this view. For a multitude of reasons (that I will not go into detail here), many adults and children struggle with anything or anyone they perceive as being different from themselves.
Whether it is physical appearance, language, ability, communication style, or creativity, developing an appreciation for the beautiful tapestry we all weave as children together of God requires an understanding that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in our Creator’s image.
For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:13-14
A Reason To Celebrate
I founded Neurodiversity Celebration Week in 2018 because I wanted to change the way learning differences are perceived. As a teenager who is autistic and has ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, my experience has been that people often focus on the challenges of neurological diversity. I wanted to change the narrative and create a balanced view which focuses equally on our talents and strengths.
Siena Castellon, Founder
Changing the Narrative
As both a therapist and a homeschooling mom of a child with learning differences, I am well acquainted with the challenges families of neurodiverse children face.
Learning to live with labels without living in fear is a process.
It requires changing the way we see ourselves, our loved ones, and the world.
It requires putting on our advocate hats and teaching our children how to be self-advocates.
It means stepping outside of our comfort zones to recruit support for our child.
It means seeing the world through an entirely new lens.
Celebrating Neurodiversity
There are multiple ways to celebrate neurodiversity. Below are just a few of the ways we celebrate Neurodiversity Celebration Week in our homeschool.
Choosing Connection Over Completion. At times life can appear to be an endless cycle of therapy appointments, interventions, and treatment goals. To help our children succeed, it is easy to lose sight of what matters most.
Children want to please us. Just as it is easy to get caught up in the ubiquitous “checklist” of one more lesson, another exercise, or one more chapter of the textbook, it is also easy for us to push our child beyond their limits.
I homeschool my child for countless reasons, but by far one of the biggest is to strengthen my bond with him. In my gentle coaching and encouragement to help my son become the best he can be, I strive to remain ever-mindful of the greater good.
Goals can look like many things. For our family, benchmarks aside, our ultimate goal is a lifelong relationship with our Lord that will in turn trickle down to a strong relationship with one another.
Celebrating the Small Stuff. Celebrate all successes, big and small. Take time to pause and truly appreciate our child’s accomplishments before rushing to the next challenge.
Focusing on Strengths. We all have strengths and limitations. Circumvent the comparison trap and empower your child by pointing out their positive traits and abilities.
Remembering WHOSE we are. Living with challenges whether it is learning differences or disabilities, is part of life. When met with disappointment, permit yourself, you and your child, to feel what you feel – for a time.
And then move on, resting in the knowledge that Our Heavenly Father makes no mistakes. We are all unique – the living reflection of Our Creator’s appreciation for diversity! Help your child discover their strengths and gifts so that they may in turn use those gifts to bless others in His name, for His glory.
How We Celebrate In Our Homeschool
We celebrate diversity and differences daily in our homeschool. We began celebrating it long before formal schooling entered the picture. It is part of how we view the world. God’s world, through His lens.
We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image. Look around God’s beautiful world and you will see how His appreciation for differences abounds.
Neurodiversity is no different.
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Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
