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Approaching puberty in girls with special needs

Kavya_Gynaecologist

Dr.Kavya Priya Vazrala

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Key Takeaways:

  1. Puberty education can be especially challenging for parents of children with special needs: Physical, emotional, or cognitive challenges can make it harder to explain and manage the changes that come with puberty, particularly menstruation.
  2. Menstruation presents multiple challenges for girls with special needs: These may include difficulty understanding the changes, managing hygiene, dealing with discomfort, and coping with emotional responses.
  3. Acknowledging physical changes is essential: Parents need to recognize and address the physical aspects of puberty, even if their child may have difficulty understanding them fully.
  4. Education and reassurance are key: It’s important to approach the subject gently, repeatedly, and in a way that aligns with the child’s level of understanding, to reduce fear or confusion.
  5. Supportive resources are available: The mentioned slideshow aims to help by highlighting common challenges and concerns, offering guidance to parents navigating this stage in their daughter’s life.

It is challenging for any parent to understand the best way to educate their daughter about the changes that come with the onset of puberty in her life. It becomes even harder when the child has special needs, owing to either physical, emotional or cognitive challenges. There are multiple challenges with menstruation for a special needs child.

Acknowledging the physical changes that come with puberty is essential. At the same time educating and reassuring special children becomes a daunting task for parents. This slideshow addresses some common challenges with menstruation for a special needs child. It also includes concerns that several parents face before and during their special girl-child’s journey into puberty.

Every girl has the right to experience puberty irrespective of special needs When the going gets tough here’s how you approach it. 

Acknowledgement: We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Hemanta Nijhawan for volunteering her time and effort with us towards the translation of this presentation from English to Hindi.

Have questions about Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or other intellectual disabilities, or have concerns about developmental delays in a child? The Nayi Disha team is here to help. For any questions or queries, please contact our FREE Helpline at 844-844-8996. You can call or what’s app us. Our counselors speak different languages including English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, and Bengali.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this guide is for information purposes only. Hence, please consult a qualified health practitioner for safe management.  

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