Caring for children with special needs: A guide for new parents and caregivers
There are 13.6 million children in the United States who have special health care needs, and one in four households (25%) has at least one child with a disability.1 Every day, all parents step into the roles of teacher, advocate, provider, taxi driver, nutritionist, disciplinarian, coach, mentor and comforter in chief. Parents of children with special needs are no different — except that they take on all of these responsibilities and more.
What does it mean to care for a child with special needs?
Parents and caregivers of a child with special needs may face heightened stress and physical and mental challenges that include sleep deprivation, feelings of isolation and loneliness, depression, and anxiety, along with resulting physical health issues. They’re challenged with finding appropriate and affordable childcare, addressing medical concerns, and identifying the best health care providers, educators, advocates and friends. If they have more than one child, they’ve got to juggle the needs, emotions, health and well-being of their other children as well. They are resilient, tenacious, energetic, enduring, soothing and loving. They are, in short, superheroes.
With the current emphasis on diversity and inclusion in our society, it’s important that we not lose sight of the extraordinary skills that many people with special needs possess. Consider Anthony Ianni, the first Division I scholarship basketball player diagnosed with autism. Or the popular comedic actor Dan Aykroyd, who has been very open about discussing his experiences with mild Asperger’s syndrome. President Theodore Roosevelt had epilepsy, as do rapper Lil Wayne and singer-songwriter Neil Young. Musicians Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Andrea Bocelli have struggled with blindness. Thomas Edison was completely deaf in one ear and had partial hearing loss in the other. For children with special needs, an emphasis on ability rather than disability can be the catalyst that leads them to thrive and excel throughout their lives.
Amy Ho, Managing Director, Business Strategies and Initiatives Executive at Bank of America (and a parent of a child with special needs), believes that positive role models, access to resources, open and honest communication, and a supportive community are vitally important in helping families of a child with special needs to thrive. She also acknowledges that we’ve come a long way as a society in how we approach this sensitive topic. “I’m grateful that the discussion regarding special needs has evolved over time to become more open and less stigmatic than when I was growing up. The more we can communicate on this topic, the greater the probability of finding the right supports for our loved ones with special needs.”
We hope that this resource guide will help new parents and caregivers of a child with special needs feel they’re better equipped, better educated and more empowered to embark on their incredible journey with their very special child and family
Read the full resource guide
Read our full resource guide to discover:
- Types of special needs
- Educating the child with special needs
- Government benefits available for children with special needs
- Legal and financial considerations
- Support for parents and children with special needs
- A word about neurodiversity in the workplace
Frequently asked questions
Download the resource guide
Contact a team member today
Let us help you differentiate your business and empower your employees to take control of their full financial lives.
1 The National Survey of Children’s Health. (2018). Health Resources and Services Administration. mchb.hrsa.gov.