Taking Care of Yourself and Your Family

Many questions may go through a parent’s mind when a child is diagnosed:

• How will this affect my family?
• My spouse?
• My other children?
• Extended family?
• What about me?

This section on taking care of yourself and your family offers some answers to these questions and ideas for supporting your family—and yourself—as you deal with the challenges of caring for a child with special health care needs.

Parents of children with special needs often forget to take care of themselves. On the Caring for Yourself page, we will discuss the importance of taking good care of you so you can continue to be the best caregiver possible.

Managing the every-day issues associated with parenting children with special needs can cause couples to forget to prioritize their relationship with each other. Couples can manage these stressors together and stay close by focusing on ways to stay connected. The Caring for Your Marriage or Relationship page is about how to work with each other and keep your relationship strong.

Brothers and sisters are the best! They have feelings and concerns about their sibling, and need to understand these feelings. The Caring for Your Other Children page will help parents understand more about how their other children might feel and how they can help all their children thrive.

Family and friends are also affected by the diagnosis of your child. How can you help your family and friends to understand the diagnosis, understand your child, and also understand their own feelings about this new information? The Caring for Your Family & Friends page discusses common issues families of children with special needs face with their family and friends.

Parenting a child with special needs is challenging enough, but doing it as a single parent has its own set of challenges. On the Tips for Single Parents of Children with Special Needs page, we offer suggestions to make things easier for when you're doing it on your own.

Dads are an important part of the family, and often the apple of their child's eye. Yet, sometimes they may feel like the only guy who faces the challenges of caring for a child with special needs, but there are actually many, many dads who take on and enjoy this role. The Fathers of Children with Special Needs page is about these dads.

Everyone needs a little time away… The Respite Care page has information about respite for families of children with special needs.