Diagnosis Disclosure Tips

If you are currently having concerns with diagnosis disclosure to your child, please contact us and we will set up a consult to help your family with this crucial step. Below are a few tips to get you started:

• Try to be open and honest about your child’s diagnosis/condition from the start.

• Use age appropriate language that your child can understand.

• When discussing genitals, try to use correct terminology (i.e. penis, clitoris, vagina, labia, etc.).

• Discuss genitals/reproductive system in a medical manner, just like any other body part.

• Discuss differences of all sorts with you child from an early age (i.e. there are different ways to have families, everyone looks different and likes different things, etc.).

• Try to not limit your child’s expression to society’s definition of gender (i.e. boy toys vs. girl toys or gender specific colors, etc.).

We recognize that having these discussions with anyone can be difficult, but especially your child. Below are a few reasons why it so important to talk with your child:

• Children who have open and honest discussions with their parents tend to cope well with their diagnosis and learn how to discuss it with others.

• Children are often confused when their medical conditions are not discussed with them which can cause them to make it much bigger or more dangerous in their mind than it actually is.

• Not talking with your child can lead to mistrust of the parent, an increase in medical anxiety, and an increase in feelings of shame.

• Remember, just because they are not asking, does not mean they do not have questions!