Families With Children With Disabilities

When people come up with ways to help families with children with disabilities, the first thing that comes to mind is donating stuff or money. We think this solves their problems, but often don’t realize that much more is needed.

After all, these families have not only financial needs, but also emotional, social and informational needs. These may seem minor, but they are absolutely fundamental. If we want our society to keep moving forward and become a place where everyone who lives in it can have a good life, we need to be aware of its real needs. If this is something you want, keep reading!

The needs of families with children with disabilities

1. Information

When a person finds out that their child has a disability, they are left with an endless list of questions, sometimes without answers. Doctors are sometimes not even aware that families with children with disabilities have an enormous need for information.

First, the family must understand the disability. This is a fundamental part of accepting and internalizing this new reality in the family. But it’s not just that. The family also needs to know what steps to take from then on. This means that there must be clarity about the role of educator as well as what resources are available for support.

This need for information will never go away. As the child grows and develops, there will always be changes that raise new questions. At every stage of life there will be new situations that require new information.

Finally, it is also important to raise awareness and educate the public about disabilities. Perhaps more importantly, schools and the people closest to the family are informed.

2. Emotional Needs

We must not forget that families with children with disabilities experience not only insecurity, but often also a whole range of other negative emotions. That’s why emotional support is so essential here. The mental health of the family depends on it.

It is normal to worry about your child as a parent. So imagine what goes on in the minds of parents who have just been diagnosed. It can be very scary. It’s also normal for these parents to feel powerless because they can’t undo it. They may even feel guilty for somehow blaming themselves for what is happening to their child.

Families with children with disabilities also need support at a time when the fear, anger and sadness that so often affect caregivers sets in. The first step will be to understand that these emotions are normal. They can then work through it to reduce the intensity and duration of these feelings.

3. Social Needs

The last fundamental need of families with children with disabilities, and everyone else for that matter, is social support. The families need the support of their friends and relatives.

Having someone to talk to openly and share thoughts and emotions without being embarrassed will be immensely helpful. It will enable the families to overcome the challenges. But it goes even further than that. It will also help them be better caregivers.

We still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding and supporting families with children with disabilities. However, it will help enormously if we remember that while material needs are always important in these situations, money does not solve everything. Information and support are paramount.

Images courtesy of Nathan Anderson, Josh Appel, and Audi Nissen.