You are your child’s best hope for a brighter future and happier today. Children with special needs rely on their parents for more than the average child does. Whether he needs help physically, socially, in the classroom, or in a hospital setting, your child with a special need needs you to be his voice and his advocate until he is able to be one for himself. Here are some ideas on how to do best by your child and give him everything he needs and deserves to succeed and thrive.
1 Learn every detail you can about your child’s needs. Each condition, whether physical or mental, comes with a list of needs and ways you are able to help your child. Make sure you understand your child and his condition so you can help him the best that you can.
2 Ask questions of everyone involved in your child’s life. From teachers to medical specialists, each will be making decisions that will affect your child and his health and well being. Make sure you ask any questions you have so that you understand fully what the plan is from the doctor or teacher’s point of view. If you don’t understand and fully back their decisions and opinions, you will begin to question the care your child is in and your child may suffer for it.
3 Take notes at doctor’s appointments. There is no way you will remember everything the doctor said, especially if you see multiple doctors on a regular basis. Take a notebook with you to appointments so you can jot down the information they are giving you. This will not only help you remember, but will give you something concrete to refer back to you when you get home. You will be able to give the doctor’s words your full attention when your child is not with you and you will be able to call the doctor with any further questions.
4 Stay organized. Create a filing system for all of your child’s medical records and reports as well as school documents. Having these papers in any easy to access location will help you to find information you need in a timely manner.
5 Be prepared for IEP or 504 plan meetings. Bring medical records, old report cards, and even an advocacy person with you to education meetings to make sure all bases are covered. Include your child if he is old enough and mature enough to be involved.
6 Know your child and his strengths and weaknesses. Communicate these things to all of the people involved in your child’s care. Don’t let doctors or education directors intimidate you. Educate them on your child.
7 If you don’t agree with a doctor’s plan or don’t feel a doctor is giving your child the best level of care, search for a new one. There are often multiple specialists available in a geographic area and sometimes it may mean driving an extra half hour, but if it gets your child the care he deserves, it will be worth it.
8 Teach your child to advocate for himself as early as possible. If you start teaching your child how to stand up for himself and speak up from an early age than he will know how to ask doctors for what he needs when the time comes for you to take a step back from his care.