--- title: 4 ways your faith leader can help you find answers when your child is struggling description: Your faith leader can be a great connector and sounding board on your path to understanding your child’s learning and thinking differences. Learn more. slug: how-faith-leader-help-with-childs-challenges author: Tara Drinks reviewer: Bob Cunningham, EdM published: '2020-06-17T19:51:39.653Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/1QA5k56pzrNioG0ewfLsVp/499143e65b6c19538521a1302f1b5f90/G1135517666.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-faith-leader-help-with-childs-challenges lang: en --- # 4 ways your faith leader can help you find answers when your child is struggling If you have a relationship with your faith leader, you may have reached out for guidance or support at some point. But you may not have thought to turn to that person for help with your child’s challenges. Faith leaders can be great resources to engage when your child is struggling. Here are some ways they can help. ## 1. Be a sounding board as you look for answers As you try to understand your child’s struggles, you may need someone to bounce ideas off of. You might need help talking through options or processing information you’ve gotten. And if you’re feeling very emotional, you may need someone to share your feelings with. Your faith leader can be a great listening ear. ## 2. Help you talk with other family members For some people, talking with family members about their child’s struggles — and how to support those struggles — isn’t easy. That’s especially true if the family isn’t very supportive. Your faith leader can help you think through how to have these conversations. They can even reach out directly to family members to help you get a dialogue going. ## 3. Connect you with other parents and caregivers It makes a big difference to have a community of parents and caregivers who understand your experiences. Your faith leader can help connect you with other families who are finding (or have found) their way through similar challenges. ## 4. Connect you with professionals in the community Finding the right support is a key step to helping your child thrive. But knowing who to turn to and where to find them can be tricky. Your faith leader can be a great resource. They can connect you to professionals and specialists who can help you understand your child's difficulties. Some professionals may even be within your congregation. ## How to engage the faith leader If you’ve met with your faith leader before, then you’re familiar with how to set up a time to meet. But if this is your first time, start by contacting your leader’s assistant to schedule a meeting. Explain to the assistant what you’d like to talk about and what you’d like help with, if you have something specific in mind. Before meeting, fill out this card to help your faith leader get to know your child better. At your meeting, be sure to ask as many questions as you have. You can even ask about ways the worship service can be [more inclusive for kids](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-help-kids-with-behavior-and-social-skills-issues-take-part-in-religious-services). --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [4 ways youth group and afterschool program leaders can help when your child is struggling](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/youth-group-afterschool-program-leaders-help-child) - Youth groups and afterschool programs are great places for kids to build skills and strengths outside of school. The leaders of these programs can also help you when your child is struggling. Group leaders often work closely with kids. They know them in a different way than teachers or parents and c - [Download: Tools to help faith leaders include kids struggling with behavior and social skills](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/download-tools-to-help-faith-leaders-include-kids-with-behavior-and-social-skills-issues) - Raising kids in faith is important to many families. But it can be hard for kids who struggle with behavior and social skills totake part in religious services. Some kids have trouble sitting still, or speak out at the wrong time. Others may have ADHD, autism, and other challenges. How can you make - [Information card for faith leaders to get to know your child](https://cdn-assets.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/3H3N1dTKPYgrESa9M9fUqc/98c1c7dda51d1feddbc798c17d87ab3c/Information_Card_for_Faith_Leaders_to_Get_to_Know_Your_Child_Understood.pdf) - 2018 Understood for All, Inc. My parent/caregivers name is Phone Email Here are some things I would like my faith community to know. I enjoy: A little bit about me My name is . I am years old. M --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-faith-leader-help-with-childs-challenges#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-faith-leader-help-with-childs-challenges","description":"Your faith leader can be a great connector and sounding board on your path to understanding your child’s learning and thinking differences. Learn more."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-faith-leader-help-with-childs-challenges","name":"4 ways your faith leader can help you find answers when your child is struggling"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2020-06-17T19:51:39.653Z","description":"Your faith leader can be a great connector and sounding board on your path to understanding your child’s learning and thinking differences. Learn more.","headline":"4 ways your faith leader can help you find answers when your child is struggling","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-faith-leader-help-with-childs-challenges","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```