Receiving a Diagnosis
If you have recently learned that your child has special needs or a disability, you probably have a million questions, concerns, and fears right now. That is okay. There will be challenges in raising your child, but there will also be so many joys. It is natural for new parents of a child with special needs to wonder how this new diagnosis will impact their family members and relationships. Family members each cope with a child’s disability or illness in their own way. Each member must adapt to the new situation.
You might be asking yourself: How will having a brother or sister with special needs affect my other children? Will having a child with special needs alter my relationship with my partner? How will my relationships with friends and relatives change? While each family’s situation is unique, it may be helpful and encouraging to know that both personal accounts and research studies provide solid evidence that families with children with special needs can be stable, successful, and happy. The majority of families share that they are stronger and closer as a result of the experience of dealing with a disability, and that they are more focused on the things that really matter in life. A consistent message you will encounter time and time again is that the positive impacts of having a family member with special needs far outweigh any difficulties or challenges that may arise.