Parenting is a lot like having a full-time job – it’s demanding, rewarding, and comes with its fair share of ups and downs. And while this demanding job is common to all parents, for parents of disabled children, it takes a more intense, overwhelming turn.
Imagine trying to navigate a maze without a map. That’s how it feels when you’re figuring out how to best care for your child with a disability. The journey – despite the love and determination – is also peppered with moments of uncertainty and exhaustion.
As a parent, you might find yourself in uncharted territory, trying to balance your child’s care, your family, and your own well-being. That’s why we’ve put together this guide – to offer you a helping hand and a bit of guidance.
Educating Yourself About Their Disability Is Key
When it comes to raising a child with a disability, knowledge truly is power. Understanding your child’s specific disability can make a world of difference in how you approach their care and support. By educating yourself, you become better equipped to meet their needs, advocate for them, and help them reach their full potential.
First and foremost, dive into research. Start with reputable online resources, read books written by experts, and seek out articles and journals on the subject. The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in your parenting journey.
HelpGuide states that talking to medical professionals who specialize in your child’s disability is also crucial. These experts can provide tailored advice and guidance, helping you understand the medical aspects, potential treatments, and best practices for care.
Workshops and seminars are another excellent way to educate yourself. Many organizations offer training sessions and educational programs for parents of children with disabilities.
These events can cover a wide range of topics, from specific therapies and interventions to coping strategies and legal rights.
Can Support Groups Help?
Yes, they can. Support groups can be an invaluable resource in your quest for knowledge. Connecting with other parents who have children with similar disabilities offers a wealth of practical advice and emotional support.
These parents have walked a mile in your shoes and can share their experiences, tips, and resources that you might not find elsewhere. Joining a support group, whether online or in-person, provides a sense of community and reassurance that you’re not alone on this journey.
Parenting a Child with Disability With A Full-time Job
If you’ve figured out anything by now, it’s that parenting children with disability is in no way an easy job. Add to that the responsibility of a full-time job, and it might even seem like you’re in an impossible situation.
The demands of both roles can be overwhelming, often leaving parents feeling stretched thin and exhausted. Time becomes a major hurdle here. Caring for a child with a disability involves numerous appointments with doctors, therapists, and specialists. These appointments can be time-consuming and frequent, leaving little room for other responsibilities.
On top of that, there are daily care routines, which might include administering medication, assisting with mobility, or providing constant supervision. When you add a full-time job to the mix, the hours in the day simply don’t seem enough.
Juggling these responsibilities also takes an emotional toll on you eventually. The constant worry about your child’s well-being, combined with the stress of meeting work deadlines, can lead to burnout. You may find yourself running on empty, with little time or energy left for relaxation.
Is Hiring Help An Option Worth Exploring?
When juggling the demands of a full-time job and caring for a child with a disability, hiring help is a worthwhile option to explore.
When it comes to help, a nurse can make your life as a parent easier in countless ways. Marymount University notes that these professionals have just the right amount of stamina, patience, and dedication to assist children with special needs.
When choosing the right professional nurse for your child, keep in mind that your options are diverse. You no longer need to limit them to traditional nurses.
Nowadays, more and more people are choosing nursing as a second career by taking accelerated BSN online courses. These people, with an inherent passion for nursing, are just as good as traditional nurses.
Coping With Their Behavioral Issues
It is no surprise that children with disability have a higher likelihood of developing behavioral issues. Like any other children, these issues stem from frustration, communication difficulties, sensory overload, or anxiety in them. Only they face these stimulants much more frequently than regular children.
Coping with these behavioral issues, while not easy, starts with recognizing the root cause of their frustration. Getting them to talk about it works well and is more effective than trying to figure out what makes them frustrated on your own. Clear and simple communication is essential. Using straightforward language can reduce confusion and frustration, which are common triggers for behavioral issues.
Developing a behavior management plan with the help of professionals can also be effective. These plans include strategies for addressing specific behaviors, setting goals, and monitoring progress.
Teaching coping skills such as deep breathing or using a stress ball can help your child manage their emotions. Incorporating regular sensory breaks into your child’s routine can prevent sensory overload.
Planning Public Outings
Everyone appreciates a change of scenery, especially children with disability, who often feel alienated from the rest of the world.
However, it is also understandable that planning public outings with your disabled child takes a lot. You must plan for everything that can go wrong and stay vigilant all the time to ensure they’re having a safe, enjoyable experience.
Allow us to help you with it. The key is to pick off-peak hours for such outings to avoid unnecessary crowds that can overwhelm your child. It’s also important to have an extra couple of hours on your hand while planning, just in case something takes longer.
Taking your child out alone can mean a great deal of potential stress, states Navigate Life Texas. To prevent that, bring another adult along, be it your spouse, friend, or even a caregiver. The extra pair of hands can come in extremely handy if things go awry.
Packing food at home is another non-negotiable rule. Even if you’re going outdoors to eat, it never hurts to pack a few of your favorite snacks for the way. Having it nearby can help ease your child’s meltdowns if they have any.
Another thing you need to be prepared in advance for is getting potential stares or even rude comments from strangers. Whether to ignore such instances or use them to set an example for your child – go with whatever is comfortable for you.
Lastly, have an exit strategy in mind at all times. Keep a keen eye on your child to make out cues that they aren’t enjoying themselves instantly. When you do, it might be best to take them home instead of prolonging their discomfort.
Sending Them To A School
Beyond home, your child’s school is the place where they’re going to be spending most of their formative years. It’s their first comprehensive exposure to the outside world and also a place that’ll teach them about living in it.
So, when we say picking the right school for them is a crucial decision, we mean every bit of it. For a child with a disability, it’s even more important that the school that they enroll in meets their special needs.
Today, a good number of public schools offer special education programs tailored for children with disabilities. Such schools might be a good fit for your child if they blend with regular children easily and don’t struggle with bullying or marginalization.
Some parents even prefer to homeschool their children for the sheer flexibility and control it offers. Verywell Family says that homeschooling helps disabled children focus on their strengths without the added stress of performance or competition that schools often add inevitably.
Another popular option that has emerged recently is disability-specific schools. Designed to give every child a perfect learning environment regardless of their disability, these schools hire highly-trained teachers and therapists for them.
They have a large collection of tools and techniques meant to help children with the same disabilities learn quickly and efficiently. Such schools are also an easier choice for parents as they don’t need to explain their child’s needs as much.
Can Disability-specific Schools be a Bad Idea for Your Child?
While disability-specific schools offer some unique benefits for your child, they’re not without their disadvantages either.
The most pressing issue with these schools is that they surround your child with other children with the same diagnosis. This isolates them from the general population, with whom they will have to deal once they’re out of school. In other words, it can make them ill-prepared for what they’re going to face in real life.
Such schools are also rare, so it might mean that your children need to travel far or even become boarding students. Such a prolonged distance can create a disconnect between you both.
Raising a child with a disability is undoubtedly a journey that asks a lot of you. But at the end of the day, even with all the efforts, when you see them smiling, it makes it all worthwhile.