Alopecia Areata affects the whole family. AAAF have many tools that can help you on your journey.
Parenting a child with Alopecia Areata can introduce new challenges. It is a life changing condition and it does impacts the whole family. AAAF is here to help. We encourage you to reach out and use the resources at hand as a guide. How your family’s journey evolves will be influenced by many factors. Remember there is no right or wrong way – there is just your families’ way.
Most children, and especially the very young, will take their reaction cues to the condition from those around them. If you’re upset, distraught, fearful of the condition, they will pick up on this anxiety. This does not mean that you ignore or repress your own feelings of loss, sorrow, and anger when you are trying to cope. Working through these feelings is a vital part of the process of coming to terms with this condition. It is also very normal for parents to experience feelings of guilt about somehow being responsible for your child’s hair loss. However, children with Alopecia Areata don’t blame their parents, and there is no research proving Alopecia Areata is ’caused’ by anything you could have done.
Whether newly diagnosed or have been living with Alopecia Areata for some time, this information pack provides everything you need in one place. It includes useful information, ideas and advice to help you and your family.
AAAF have been hard at work creating a Parents Pack to provide information and resources for families managing Alopecia Areata. The Parents Pack is coming soon!
Support Groups
AAAF Support Groups are a fantastic way to contact other families going through the same situation, to ask questions and seek information and to keep up to date with events and programs offered. AAAF recognises that social and emotional support is a great way to help anyone coping with their Alopecia Areata, especially young people and children. Meeting and making friends with other children with Alopecia Areata will help your child to know they are not alone
Support Ambassadors
AAAF Support Ambassadors are carefully selected from a cross section of the community (business, sport, politics, health, media) representing various age groups and states around Australia and all have lived with Alopecia Areata.
The Ambassadors assist the Foundation by actively promoting and creating awareness about the condition. They can be contacted directly for one-on-one support, and, wherever possible, can assist with hosting information sessions about Alopecia at schools, clubs and youth groups
Why Does My Hair Fall Out?
To help kids aged 4-12 to understand and explain their Alopecia to family and peers Jamie was born.. Jamie is just your ordinary kid, until one day, he loses his hair. Join Jamie, and thousands of other kids like him, as he learns about hair loss and Alopecia Areata.
This fantastic resource for the family and schools is available online or can be purchased as a DVD.
Brochures
The “Teens Talking to Teens” brochure and “Parents Talking to Parents” brochures resulted from engaging directly with these audience and drawing on their experiences.
Parents Pack
The Parents Pack is a tool for parents of children with Alopecia Areata who are looking for information and resources to assist them on their journey. It has been created with the support of numerous families within our community.
School Pack
AAAF created a School Pack designed to help educators introduce Alopecia Areata into the classroom. Developed with the help of child psychologists and early childhood educators, this pack includes lesson plans, advice from other parents, sample letters and templates to use to inform school staff about Alopecia Areata.
Studies show that information sharing, open communication and clear explanations on what Alopecia is, assist in combating bullying and ensuring a happy and healthy school experience .
Alopecia for Kids
Alopecia Areata can be complex for anyone to understand, but for young kids, many support resources are inaccessible. AAAF created a simple and visual poster explaining alopecia for young kids. This can be printed and displayed at home, school or youth groups and clubs.
Alopecia, Teens and Mental Health
Research suggests that individuals living with Alopecia may be at higher risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Knowing the signs, how to start a conversation and where you can get support can change the lives of young people going through hard times. That’s why we’ve created this information sheet for parents, family and guardians of teens with alopecia.
The Best of Friends – A story about Alopecia and Friendship
Colouring Book
Support for Families and Friends