Children notice differences and often ask direct questions. Open, age-appropriate conversations about disability and neurodiversity can help replace uncertainty with understanding and respect.

Start with clear, respectful language

Use straightforward explanations, welcome questions and avoid presenting disability as something frightening or shameful. Stories featuring disabled and neurodivergent characters can provide a helpful starting point, particularly when they show everyday experiences rather than treating difference as a lesson or problem to solve.

Encourage empathy without making assumptions about what another person needs. Children can learn to ask before helping, listen to the person concerned and recognise that people may communicate, move, learn or experience sensory information differently. Honest conversations support a culture in which difference is expected and every person’s dignity is respected.

Read the original Time Timer article

Adapted for South African readers from the original Time Timer article, published on 18 July 2024. Core meaning and Time Timer® brand information have been retained, with local language and context applied.