To Tell or Not to Tell?

Tonight was Jared's first soccer practice with his new team, the Huskies. He loves soccer. This is his forth season and the child is excited for every single practice and game. This is a new team, as his last season  coach decided not to coach again. I could only hope for a fantastic coach this season.

As I have mentioned, Jared's APD has made him more easily frustrated. Now that he's surrounded by children who can speak clearly and get their questions out, he knows that he's different. He stutters to get questions out, especially when he's excited. He has started whining when he doesn't feel "heard". These are all areas in which we're working. So, I was wondering, do I tell the coach about his condition or do I let her/him get to know Jared before labeling him with a disability?

We were the first family at practice. Coach Lorie seemed very nice. She and her husband will be coaching team. They are both military, very organized, excited and so kind. We chatted as we waited for other families. The opportunity presented itself and I shared a little about APD with her. I told her that Jared learns best by visual instruction, so if there's a drill, he should be behind someone to follow what the other child does. There may be things that she says that he won't be able to process, but he's not intentionally ignoring her. She had never heard of the disorder, like most, and was really sweet about it.

I feel really good about his team this season. A couple weeks ago, I thought about getting on a team where I knew the coach and his daughter. After that suggestion left my mouth, I wish I could have taken it back as I knew it would not have been a good "fit" for sooooo many reasons. It worked out perfectly that the league had already assigned teams. Go Huskies!

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5 (NIV)