How do you know?

How do you know what typical development is? Even though my daughter has Cerebral Palsy which is not necessarily behavioral she still exhibits some behavioral issues. She has trouble adjusting to change and can and does completely loose it when things change on her unexpectedly. That said she is seven years old and lost of seven year old’s must exhibit that behavior.

Here is one of the more difficult things about being a dad. I tend be positive. I tend to be encouraging. I tend to think most things are normal or typical which ever word your prefer. My wife sees behavior like I describe above and gets worried. She is concerned that our daughter need some help to adjust. Now as a smart man I’ve learned that my wife’s intuition is usually dead on, but still I wonder.

So I ask how do you know what is typical behavior and what is atypical? When do you decide to take action?

My wife says there is nothing wrong with going to see a counselor but I worry that it can hurt my daughters self esteem. I know they are not supposed to do that, but I grew up with dyslexia and I know first hand that seeing a tutor, and a counselor hurt mine. Maybe it’s different I’m a boy but I’d sure like to know.

Merry Christmas!

5 Responses to How do you know?