Helping Your Family and Your Special Needs Child

Nothing may come as a bigger shock to new parents than to learn their child has special needs. Parents love their children all the same, but this does put extra pressure and more work on the shoulders of the parents. This means they will have to have outside help with some things, but other things are going to be their own endeavor. It can be very hard at first to know what you can do to help your child, and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness can be painful. There are some simple things that can make a family much happier, closer, and more balanced.

What can happen when there is a special needs child in a family is that the other children may end up feeling neglected. Parents never mean to do this, but it can happen when one child requires care in areas that the others do not. Some special needs children may never be potty trained, or may never eat on their own. That is when the most time is spent focusing on the child with needs, and the others feel as if they are not as important. It is important to make sure they do not feel that way by making special time with them, even if it is only one parent at a time.

The other children in the family may end up resenting the special needs child if they feel as if they are left out of the family. One of the best ways to keep them involved is to make them feel as if they have an important role in helping in the care of the special needs child. They dont have to do what you do, but they can spend time with them reading to them, or even walking them around the yard to explore new things. When they feel as if they are pitching in with the care, they are going to feel as if they are an essential part of the family - as they should.

When it seems you are having family problems because of a special needs child, you should make sure you do something about it as soon as you see the problem. This might mean a family conversation about what each child is feeling, and learning new ways to remain close. Other times, family counseling may be in order. This can bring out suppressed feelings and that helps to turn things around. Some children even benefit from individual counseling sessions to help them sort out how they feel.