CAPD Community

I have to be honest. Before, my son was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and before I realized he had Sensory Integration Dysfuntion, my main coping mechanism was a glass of wine (or two, or three...). While that does sometimes still seem to work, I think it is good to keep a handy list of ways to cope when things get ugly. Come on, you know what I mean!



I actually keep a list of coping mechanism that work for me. So here they are:



*walking away for a few minutes (sometimes FAR away)

*long, deep breaths (if you hyperventilate and pass out, you can't hear the whining anymore)

*listening to music on my ipod (this is good for drowning out the whining too)

*yoga (10 minutes will do, but a full-hour is better-How indulgent!)

*walking/running (if you really need to get even further away)

*a quiet room with candles and a good book (Okay, now I am just delusional!-no one with children really gets to do this)

*blogging

*reading blogs that inspire me like http://www.thecoachshoppe.blogspot.com/



*reading celebrity blogs that make me laugh or take me out of my world for a bit like my favorite about John Mayer http://www.tryjm.blogspot.com/



side note: John Mayer is quite a gifted blogger himself, www.honeyee.com/johnmayer but I hear Jennifer Aniston has forbid him to blog about anything but music.


We all have our own coping mechanisms for dealing with the stress of CAPD/APD, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities, but how often do we use them? What are yours? Please click on the word "comments" above and share yours.

I am a married mother of two beautiful children; a 6 year-old girl and an 8 year-old boy diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder named Zack. I have a Master’s degree in School Counseling, have worked as a guidance counselor, residential counselor with severely abused adolescent girls, a crisis counselor, and for the last 12 years as the manager of a dental office. To that list, I now add CAPD Community blogger.

I am creating this blog based on my experience that whenever I mention to someone that my son has CAPD/APD, the person knows or loves someone who is struggling with this disorder. These conversations usually last for 2 to 3 hours. Obviously, these people need to talk about their own experience with learning disabilities and be heard as much as I do.

Although I do have some counseling experience, I don’t come to this blog as an expert or as one who has had any great success in coping with how his disorder has affected my life and that of my family. I come as a mom who loves her son; a person who feels deeply and as someone who is dedicated to sharing what could easily be buried deep in my heart.

If these ideas resonate with you, please join me on this journey. I welcome comments and advice on what you read and see here. I, too, am here to learn. So, please share any information, resources, and/or helpful advice that you may have. Help me to create a cohesive community dedicated to helping us help ourselves and ultimately, our children and family deal with the challenges of living with APD.