 |
|
         |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
 Your Special Needs Child--Coping After Receiving a DiagnosisRead about "Your Special Needs Child--Coping After Receiving a Diagnosis " on parentingfact.com. This article, "Your Special Needs Child--Coping After Receiving a Diagnosis ", will help you with your questions or concerns. We parentingfact.com, have a large number of updated articles. Please feel free in searching for more information on parentingfact.com. If you have any questions, please contact us.
As the parent of seven children, three with developmental delays, I have experienced both the heartache, and frustration as well as the joyful rewards that accompany any
parent’s journey in helping their child succeed under trying circumstances. That gray, icy March day, over eight year’s ago, that my oldest son was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delays, possible Autism, still sits like a dark shadow on the corner of my heart. My husband and I certainly were not expecting such a harsh diagnosis. Our sweet 2-year old son was simply not talking, we just wanted to know how we could get help from a Speech Language Pathologist, not an entire team of Neurologists, Phds, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and Educational Specialists. We knew our son was delayed in speaking, but nothing could have prepared us for the extensive testing they put him through, or the scrutiny we would be placed under as we were interviewed endlessly by social services and others on the review team. It was the beginning of a journey that neither of us anticipated, however, we learned far more than we could’ve imagined we would during the process, and over the course of the past eight years, we are grateful that we have been able to guide other newly-diagnosed families on how to better cope and how not to waste time indulging in too much self-pity along the way. Here are some guidelines that we established for ourselves once we came to terms with our son’s situation. We’ve followed these for two of our other children that were also diagnosed with the same label, Global Developmental Delay, possible Autism. After Receiving the Diagnosis: 1. It's okay to grieve. No parent ever expects a child
that is born healthy to face any type of significant
developmental delay. Cry--scream that it isn't fair--
cry some more. Just do yourself one favor--don't focus
on the grief for too long. Your child deserves more.
You can't help him if you are wallowing in self pity.
Gather yourself, take some deep breaths and focus on
the future. It can be much brighter than you ever
thought possible if you stay focused. 2. Sit down with your spouse/partner or any other support
person you have and start getting an organized plan
together as to how you can get your child the best
possible services available. Be relentless! This is
a new job that you have just been hired to do. You
are your child's best advocate. Get out the Yellow
Pages, go on-line, network and ask as many friends,
family, neighbors, co-workers or other acquaintances
if they know of anyone that has faced a similar
situation with their child. Don't be ashamed. Your
child is still a special gift, and you as a parent can
determine much of your child's success by standing by
him and getting him the services he needs immediately. Children under the age of three qualify for services
called Early Intervention, offered through most towns
throughout the country. Call your local school depart-
ment and inquire about programs that your delayed child
may qualify for. Contact local hospitals and mental
health clinics for referrals. By keeping focused and
working on getting your child the help he needs, you
will start to feel stronger and more hopeful. You
will begin to feel like you are in control of this
situation and won't feel as helpless. 3. Join parent support groups in your area as another
great resource. Just keep in mind that you don't want
to be sucked down by a group that is inclined to be
negative and cry out "woe is us." Not all support
groups are like this, but we happened to encounter a
few. On the positive side, at one such meeting we did
connect with a family that proved to be invaluable.
They had a son with a similar diagnosis and gave us
more information and referrals than we had gotten
from any other resource. In fact, this family was
responsible for helping us find a home-based program
that worked with our son for three years, thus helping
him to overcome his delays! 4. Be persistent. You will soon find that many of the
programs available for special needs children are either
state run or Government run. Most insurance companies
refuse to pay for these services as well. You will
run into much red tape, but if you are persistent and
follow thru with phone calls and inquiries no matter
how often you may hear the words "We don't cover that,"
you will soon find that you can get many of these
services covered if you don't give up. There are plenty
of grants and funds available, you just have to ask.
Have your pediatrician help on this end as well. Most
are happy to assist you with paperwork so that your
child will get the coverage he needs as soon as
possible. 5. Most importantly, love and enjoy your child. Your
child didn't ask to have these delays placed on him
and is young and vulnerable. Without the unconditional
love and support of his family, he may never reach his
full potential. Look for the positives. There are
many things your child will be able to do, so celebrate
those milestones and remember to praise, praise, praise
him. If a child that faces tough developmental
struggles has the warmth and security of a loving
family behind him, the possibilities are endless. We
know because we've helped three of our children to
overcome very significant speech delays. We treated
all of them as individuals and made sure to have very
high expectations for each of them so that they could
be sure and reach their full potential. As a family
we triumphed over every little syllable and phrase that
each of them spoke, and know now that we wouldn't have
traded their early developmental years for anything. 6. Last but not least, keep a journal of your child's
progress. This is an invaluable tool that will benefit
your entire family. Watch and be amazed as your child
learns new skills and gains more independence and
self-confidence. It's a wonderful place to track any
problem areas that your child may temporarily face.
It's also a wonderful asset for your child's therapists
and teachers. YOu won't be sorry if you take the extra
time to invest in this important aspect of your child's
growth. This is just the beginning of many new paths that you and your
unique child will travel on together. With the right attitude,
keeping yourself organized and by keeping your home environment
loving and nurturing, be prepared for this unexpected journey
to be one that you will appreciate and that will make you and
your family stronger and healthier. Additional EzineArticles from the Home-and-Family:Parenting Category:
|
All contents © copyright 2005. All rights reserved.