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Essay on Special Needs Child vs. Normal Child in a Family
Every parent wants and expects to have a "normal" child. Like everything else in life things don’t always turn out the way we had envisioned. Between 5 and 20% of children will have a special need, which may range from a physical disability through a specific medical condition or illness, to developmental delay or mental disorder. The disability may be visible or invisible. It may be apparent at birth or emerge as the child grows older. Or it may come later as a result of an injury or illness. Its cause may be known (e.g. genetic) or as is the case with many children with developmental problems, its cause may be speculative (e.g. environmental) or unclear.
When parents learn that their child has a disability or a chronic illness, they begin a journey that takes them into a life that is often filled with strong emotion, difficult choices, interactions with many different professionals and specialists, and an ongoing need for information and services. Initially, parents may feel isolated and alone, and not know where to begin their search for information, assistance, understanding, and support. This News Digest has been developed expressly to respond to the information needs of parents—those who have just learned their child has special needs and those who have lived with this reality for some time but who have reached a transition point where they need new information or renewed support.
This issue provides a starting point for families in their search for information and resources. We hope that it will also be useful to professionals who work with families who have a child with a disability, helping them to understand how having a child with a disability can affect the family and providing them with a ready resource to share with the parents with whom they work.....
