Key Tips On Coping With A Disability After Having A Baby
Learning that you are pregnant with a child is such a life-changing situation that could affect you for a while. Young married couples aspire of having their own families during the time that they are most ready. Some receive this bountiful blessing at an earlier stage in life but learn to love their blessing even more.
Being pregnant is a journey in itself for mothers. Raising a child with special needs can be a challenge, but moms and dads power through by giving their utmost support and love to their children.
Even if there is a shock factor, some parents face the challenges and still need to cope with the shocking news. Some get puzzled with how to cope up with these challenges and need someone to rely on, more like a shoulder to lean on during this tough times.
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Here are some important tips to help you cope up with these challenges.
#1 Connect with your child
Connecting with a child can be a challenge since not everyone is born a talker. Some would just like to draw or play with their toys up to a certain age before they start learning words and eventually speaking to the people around them.
Some parents force questions into a brain of a young child that is still finding ways to process how to respond to questions. For the time being, parents should exercise patience when dealing with children who have special needs. They need to feel the assurance that you are always there in every step of the way.
Most of the time, the child needs to get introduced to the the person and the “topic” that you want to talk about with the child. Then, share some stories and let the child feel that they are secured. For every activity that you plan to do with your child, make sure that you do it well and always let them feel that you will always be by their side.
#2 Reach out to them
Most of the children who have special needs have various ways of interacting to other kids and even to their parents. Some may even be uncomfortable with talking and using words to interpret their thoughts. Behavior is an important element of communication and children with special needs can speak more through acting it out than saying it.
However, every child is different so it must always be remembered to reach out to them. It may be a hard at first but if you continuously reach out and try to speak with them. For starters, it may happen through a unique interactive activity such as writing or even playing. Just remember, don’t lose your patience.
#3 Prepare physical interaction that involves visual, auditory or olfactory senses
Everything’s must have been done in your way to try to connect and reach out with your child. There are some instances that it would be just harder since some are puzzled on how would they connect with other kids and even relatives.
Some parents involve the use of writing games that exercises the memories of their kids from hand-lettered cards to hand-drawn cards with photos that depict the message you want. There are other ways also that parents could use aside from cards that appeal to their visual sensory. It could also be in the form of snaps, claps or even the sound of chimes and these can help in strengthening the memory of your child. Whenever they would hear the sound of it, they would immediately remember you or anything you’ve related to it.
When it comes to the olfactory senses, it would be relating something to specific smell or aroma that could be in the form of incense or even to a specific perfume.
#4 Treat them normally even if they have special needs
Parents and children alike have various needs and challenges that they face in every day of their lives. They are still all human beings that are capable of feeling and sensing. Even if they have special needs, parents must never pity their own kid. They should treat them normally like without any special needs.
Their achievements and accomplishments in life should not be affected with your own frustrations in life. Let it be independent from the things you perceive on how will they be and should be. Support them wholly as they find their own strengths and weaknesses and define themselves on their own way. Hug them or give them a tap on their shoulder and let them know that they are the best and that you eternally love them. Doing this can help them boost their morale and see the world on a lighter note.
In raising children with special needs, it takes a lot especially from the parents and other family members. However, challenges may arise when it comes to long term disabilities after pregnancy which you may need professional help from people like these here. We hope these tips can be helpful to you when you raise your children.
Andrew Nickleson
Andrew is a passionate writer, writing about disabilities and the law. He has written about many subjects aimed to help those who have questions unanswered. In his spare time he enjoys working on volunteering for those less fortunate.
