*We are joined by our guest blogger, Chelsea Weidmann, better known on social media as the Geeky Ballerina. Chelsea has agreed to contribute some articles on neurodivergent kids and ballet. We hope you enjoy them!

Hi, I’m Chelsea and I’m a ballet teacher and mom to a neurodivergent kid. As I’m writing this, my heart is beating faster because I know how much you love your kid and how hard it is to walk that line between supporting your kid in their difference while also not drawing unwanted attention. Especially in ballet classes, where sometimes needs are interpreted as problems. (They aren’t problems, BTW, but you know what I mean.)

To be clear: I’m not talking about adaptive dance. That’s a different topic altogether. I’m talking about kids who are “low support needs.” They absolutely can thrive in the professional dance world but they spend energy appearing to fit in, which leaves them with less energy to spend on their dance education.

You see the beauty in your dancer. You also see the way their difference is making it hard for their teacher to fully appreciate them. 

We’re not here to speak ill of your child’s teacher. They are amazing and highly skilled at teaching and inspiring the next generation of ballet artists. You respect your child’s teacher and you might be a little afraid to have a cards-on-the-table conversation with them.

So how do we move forward? If you’re reading this, you probably have reached the point where your parent instincts are telling you it’s time to say something. Your kid doesn’t need a special class, but a little awareness and small (tiny) adjustments on the teacher’s part will go a long way.

I am so excited to be starting a series of blog posts for The Ballet Help Desk so that I can dive into some specifics for dancers with ADHD, autism, and those of us who are introverts in a performance world. But that’s barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wonderful ways brains process information so here is a starting place that applies to everyone:

When you decide to tell your child’s teacher/school about their neurodivergence, the first conversation works best when it is friendly and very low-key. You are sharing information about your child that the teacher didn’t have, and that you think may be helpful as your dancer continues learning from them. Unless there is a glaring issue, don’t request any change yet.

We are hoping to play to everyone’s strengths. (I’m an idealist. Playing to everyone’s strengths is always my best-case scenario.)

As you wrap up this lighthearted conversation, be sure to say that you are happy to have further talks if the teacher wants that. This is also a good place to slip in, “Anja’s school teacher asked for suggestions last year when she was struggling with a new seating chart and we were able to come up with a very simple solution together. If something like that happens this year, I’m definitely Team Class Success!”

I know that you are probably aching to ask for a small change, but wait. Ballet teachers aren’t known for our enthusiasm to embrace change. Getting this new information about your dancer kicks off a new way we interpret our relationship with them (Oh, now I see why I keep having to remind Marvin to make eye contact with me. It’s not a sign of disrespect.). It also begins a change in the way we approach our teaching (Okay, since I know Hassan’s attention will wander about 25 minutes into class, how can I add novelty to class at that moment without distracting from our goals?). Give the teacher time to wrap their brain around the information you’ve shared.

Now that you’ve started things on a friendly note, it makes future conversations so much easier. Whether you want to initiate a follow-up to offer suggestions or wait until the school asks for them will depend on your child but, either way, starting on a pleasant level makes a huge difference.

In the upcoming weeks I’ll be sharing specific tips I’ve learned through academic research and lived experience. For now, please know that ballet is a more beautiful art because your child is part of it and I am so excited to see them thrive!