5 Ways To Support Families With Special Needs Children
No one can fully prepare for what life has in store. We often try our best to manage what we can control, but we are often left disappointed when things don’t work out the way we expected them to. We were told we would be having a healthy baby boy. There were no signs of abnormality on any of our ultrasounds and we did everything we were supposed to. Within a year after he was born, we knew something was wrong. Our initial fears were realized when he was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism at the age of 2 years old. We’ve navigated this diagnosis the best we can as a family, but friends and even family members are often at a loss as to how to support us. If you know someone with a special needs child, you may have felt this way. We’ll be sharing five ways in which you can support families with special needs children.
1. Educate Yourself
The first step in supporting families with special needs children is to educate yourself. Learn about the diagnosis, the challenges the family will face, and the resources available to them. This will help you become better informed and get to know the unique needs of the family which will make you better able to offer assistance.
2. Offer Your Support
One thing that rings true among special needs parents is that they often feel alone. It can be difficult for other parents to fathom how hard it is to raise a child with a disability and because of that we often shy away from sharing in an effort to seem like we’re complaining.
Being a caregiver for a special needs child can also be a roller coaster of emotions. Offer to lend an ear when needed, provide a shoulder to cry on, and be a source of comfort and understanding. This small gesture truly means a lot when you feel like your world is caving in.
3. Help Out Practically
After our son was diagnosed we had an extremely hard time finding the resources our son needed on our little island in the Caribbean. My husband and I were juggling our jobs, often skipping lunch and leaving early to take our son to and from therapy, coordinating drop-offs and pick-ups for his older brother along with everything else we had to do each day. It was a lot! We have since moved to a new country with no family and no help.
Even the smallest tasks can make a huge difference to a family dealing with a special needs child. Offer to grocery shop, pick up their other kids from school, organize play dates, prepare a meal, or run simple errands. Offering to help in any way you can show that you understand their struggle and are willing to attempt to make their load a little bit lighter.
4. Have Patience
Raising a child with special needs will never look the same as raising a neurotypical child. Plans will often go awry, invitations might not be accepted after being assessed based on their child’s needs, and meetups might get canceled when their child has had a bad day or the parents are too exhausted. Giving grace, being patient and understanding, and being willing to go the extra mile to help are great ways to support families with special needs children.
5. Respect Their Privacy
It’s important to respect the privacy of the family and their wishes for how much information they want to share. Don’t pass judgment, never pry or ask questions that make them feel uncomfortable and never share information you’ve been given in confidence with others without permission.
Being there for others can be a huge undertaking. While showing support is great, it is just as important to be honest with us. If you are feeling overwhelmed or not valued in the same way, speak up. We are often so preoccupied with everything on our plate that we sometimes miss small cues. Support and friendship should never be one-sided and efforts should be acknowledged and reciprocated.
By following these 5 tips, you can make a big difference in the lives of families with special needs children.