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Three Reasons Keeping a Child’s Diagnosis a Secret From Them Is a Horrible Idea
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This topic holds a special place in my heart. Those who are familiar with some of my other pieces know I didn’t receive any of my current medical diagnoses as a child and the effect that had upon me. This makes it especially hard for me to fathom somebody having access to this kind of information about somebody, but intentionally withholding it. It might additionally come as no surprise that I feel that broader legal protection should exist overall when it comes to minors’ access to their own medical information, regardless of disability status or parents’ wishes.
I also asked my parents whether they would have kept any of the formal diagnoses I ended up securing on my own secret from me had they arrived earlier and the answer was a resounding, “No”. They even felt the question itself to be quite silly and were shocked to find out that many parents do not agree with them. After all, my mom is the one who immediately fired one of my pediatricians when I was about four years old after I asked her a question and her response was, “Shut up! I’m talking to your mother”.
