There is a great deal of conjecture that the divorce rate is higher for parents who have a special needs child. While many studies exist to track this, there appear to be no reliable statistics to prove or disprove this theory. If you have a special needs child, you may think differently. Often, you are around parents with their own special needs children, especially at doctors’ appointments. Parents with special needs children have their own social networks, both formally and informally.
So far, an institutional education process has not been created to help parents with a special need child communicate with each other regarding their special circumstances in such a manner as to protect, preserve, and promote a healthy marital relationship. If you have been able to maintain a healthy marital relationship with a special needs child, not only are you to be commended, but you should strongly consider trying to spread the message of how you work on your marriage to other parents with special needs children.
Tips For Those With Special Needs Children Going Through A Divorce
For those of you with a special needs child who are ending your marriage or relationship, your path is one of high risk and should be handled most carefully.
Your first stop should be an experienced divorce attorney who has a great deal of experience handling divorces and child custody cases where the parents have one or more special needs children. Your attorney should be adept at building a team of support for your family for the long term. That includes medical professionals, mental health professionals, education professionals, financial professionals, and perhaps even more assistance, depending upon your circumstances.
This needs-based divorce approach tends to work best when the divorcing parents can work well enough with each other to help their child have the best path throughout his or her life. If the other parent is not on board with working together, that places you in the highest risk category. You will likely have to endure a fairly nasty divorce while simultaneously working and caring for your special needs child.
Acquiring An Experienced Divorce Attorney
This is where you need an experienced divorce attorney who routinely represents parents whose children have special needs. These are time-intensive, emotional divorces that can have very bad outcomes. They tend to get a lot of attention from the Courts, with custody evaluations, mental health evaluations, and more. The Courts tend to handle these cases poorly, because they cannot and do not know your life. All the Court can do is rule on the issue before it.
An experienced divorce attorney who understands the special needs divorce often has access to great resources which can help to protect their client while working towards the best outcome for the child.
Speak To The Divorce Law Firm
At Milstein Siegel, our representation is backed by more than 20 years of experience. We know that our clients come to us during times of real need, and we offer comprehensive solutions to the most challenging family law matters. Call us at (410) 792-2300 or request a consultation online.
