Parenting a child with special needs is challenging. It requires extra effort in time, awareness, and education. These considerations will be quite different from one child to the next because ‘special needs’ is used as an umbrella term to encompass anything from light learning disabilities to more severe behaviour issues. Proper diagnoses ensure parents will be focussing on the right methods and activities for their child.
There are some common challenges parents will face:
Family Impact
Often, raising a special needs child requires so much time, energy, and resources, that other relationships with the family start to suffer. Whether it is the marriage that suffers by lack of attention or siblings that act out due to jealousy. Parents will need to remember that their spouse, their relationship, and the children’s relationship with their siblings need just as much consideration and effort. Ensuring that everyone is talking and knows what is going on helps a great deal to build patience and understanding for everyone.
Social Impact
In many cases, children with special needs require specialised education that keeps them separate from other children. This can make the child’s socialisation much harder, and it can also alienate and isolate the parents from other parents of children with special needs.
This can eventually negatively affect the emotional and psychological state of the parents and the special needs child. Parents should try to find support groups within these specialised programmes in order to be able to connect with other people who are going through the same challenges.
You are not alone and you can find support.
Find out how to better understand your special needs child, their needs and specific requirements.
College of Allied Educators offers our Diploma in Learning Disorders Management and Child Psychology programmes to help you understand your child or the child in your care to more effectively help in their learning and development.
For a FREE COURSE PREVIEW
CALL US at 6223-2743
EMAIL your enquiry to ENQUIRY@ICAE.EDU.SG
or Register for your free preview below: