G knows that he's different. The people around me know that G is different. I've found that I'm not closed-mouthed about things, and its worked well for us. I know that lots of people won't agree with how we are dealing with G's difficulties, and I'm okay with that. What works for me won't necessarily work for everyone else.
I tell people that G has ADHD and that he takes medication. I tell them when its necessary to explain why a situation is deteriorating. I tell them when they talk about their child's special needs. The parents of kids in his class know, because of conversations like this:
"Hi! I'm G's mom. Thanks for inviting him to your kid's birthday party. I was wondering if I could stick around and help. He has ADHD and some sensory and social issues. I'll make sure he's doing okay, and I can help you out if you need anything."
This conversation tends to go over really well. People are usually surprised to hear he has ADHD because we limit his unmedicated exposure to the world.
G knows he takes medication to help his "self-control." We don't let ADHD be an excuse for bad behavior. He knows that he has trouble making good choices sometimes, that the medicine helps him make good choices, but that he's always growing and changing, and we want him to keep working on making good choices, with or without medicine. (Heck of a run-on sentence. Sorry.)
I know not everyone wants to have their child's issues hanging out there for all to know. I also know that some people have no choice about people seeing/hearing/knowing about their child's issues. Every family has to do what works best for them. Hopefully, being open about G's issues will help people understand him better and deal with him more patiently. Hopefully he'll continue to grow and change and build independence.
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