A parent whose child is diagnosed with a mental disability can experience a significant amount of emotional distress. Raising a special-needs child is challenging, at the least, a process that may require an exorbitant amount of patience and care. The task, at times, may seem quite overwhelming. However, through gaining knowledge and social support, you can learn to confidently manage the needs of your child.
Step 1
Work with the diagnosis. Understand that caring for a child with special needs is going to require an adjustment on your part. G. Venkatesh Kumar, writing for the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, states that "Parents and other children in the family must undergo a variety of profound changes to adapt to the presence of a disabled member." Your ability to adapt, as a family, will significantly affect the progression of your mentally challenged child's development.
Step 2
Help your child to achieve as much as he possibly can. Locate a therapist who can design an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, for your child. According to the Mental Health Mental Retardation agency of Tarrant County in Texas, an IEP "curriculum is designed around the individual's needs and strengths, incorporating age appropriate skills relevant to their everyday life at school, home, and in the community." Also, it may be necessary to place your child in a special-needs school that is equipped to implement a course of study specific to his personal needs.
Step 3
Avoid setting expectations or limitations for your child. Dr. Mario Valente, writing in "The Western Journal of Medicine," asserts that "In evaluating the prospects, one should stress the positive rather than the negative aspects of the child's potential." By allowing your child to achieve at her own pace, you will always be pleased with what she can accomplish. Likewise, projecting your own undue perception of her psychological capacity could hinder her performance and cause her mental growth to regress.
Step 4
Ask for help. Look into support groups in your area that offer resources to assist families raising mentally challenged children. Hearts & Minds Ltd., an all-volunteer charity organization, has posted, online, a comprehensive list of foundations that provide resources and support for the mentally challenged. You will find a link in the Resource section. Ask people who have children with the same disability for support and tips on successful parenting.
Step 5
Look for literature that includes information on your child's particular disability and tips on how to work with the disability rather than against it.
Tips and Warnings
- Remember that you can't change who your child is. Always be encouraging. Children feed off praise and approval. Just being positive can dramatically help your child to excel and flourish.
- Don't be negative. Pessimism and disappointment are psychological toxins that can easily damage your child's potential to achieve.
