Being a parent can cause you to experience nearly every emotion under the sun as they grow, from pride and elation to exhaustion and frustration. It’s also possible to have emotions connected to grief as a parent, especially if your child is diagnosed with a disability.
When your child has a disability, a lot of your physical, emotional and mental capacity goes into making sure that they have the support and resources they need to thrive. That can sometimes mean that you don’t allow yourself to acknowledge the complicated feelings that can stem from the diagnosis.
By understanding why you’re feeling what you’re feeling, you’ll see that it’s OK to grieve your child’s diagnosis of a developmental delay or condition. You’ll also be able to feel ready to take on the right interventions and therapy practices. You can help your child work through potential challenges to be the best version of themselves.
What no one tells you about grief when your child has been diagnosed with a disability
If a child has been diagnosed with a disability after a long time of challenges, it can sometimes be a relief to learn the answers as a parent. Now you can start navigating the journey to their bright future. But it’s also possible to experience negative emotions that can stem from grief. You may have feelings of sadness and anger.
It’s important to remember that every parent is different and so is how they respond to their child’s diagnosis. Some parents may have a harder time than others. All that matters is that you’re emotionally and mentally prepared to be by your child’s side through every step of their treatments.
When discussing the word “grief” in relation to a child’s diagnosis, we’re referring to the potential feeling of loss for your child’s expected future. You might also fear what they may be missing out on. Grief involves going through stages to reach full acceptance and navigating any negative emotions or thoughts you may have about the diagnosis. If you find that you’re unable to leave such thoughts and emotions behind, it may hinder the progress of your child’s treatment and early intervention.
Here are the different forms of grief that you may be experiencing after your child’s diagnosis of a disability:
- Denial — A diagnosis doesn’t mean that you or your child did something wrong. Even so, it can still be difficult to acknowledge the reality of their challenges. You may have a fear of the unknown or lack of knowledge about the disability. This can lead to an instinctual denial of the challenges in the first place.
- Disbelief — A diagnosis often comes as a shock to the whole family, even if there have been previous signs up to this point. Total disbelief can make it difficult to come to terms with the diagnosis and how it may affect your family going forward.
- Deep concern — When it comes to having a child, you always want what’s best for them. If they receive a developmental delay or condition diagnosis, you may start to excessively worry about what that means for their overall quality of life.
- Skepticism — The surprise can make you feel completely thrown, leading to having a hard time believing in the validity of the diagnosis. Even when you’re presented with the facts and evidence, such as test results, it may be hard to emotionally and mentally accept them.
Ability KC can help you learn about parenting a child with a disability
At Ability KC, we understand that you may experience a feeling of loss when your child is diagnosed with a disability, even if you’re struggling to understand that feeling yourself. By normalizing and destigmatizing the emotions you may have at this time in your child’s development, we can ensure that you feel heard as we help you navigate education and treatment.
We provide support for early intervention, transition and other family services to build successes and bright futures for both you and your child. We also stress the importance of inclusive parenting practices that can be used with any child, which can be helpful if you’re a parent to a child who has a disability and others who don’t.
Personalization plays a key role in early intervention and treatment for children who have been diagnosed with a disability. It’s the building blocks for every plan, including:
- Lesson planning — Helping your child learn and develop important cognitive skills as well as fundamental skills
- Therapy goal planning — Setting goals that are attainable and measurable to help your child continue their development and progress
- Therapeutic learning plan — Ensuring that your child’s learning plans in a therapeutic setting are tailored as specifically as possible to their strengths and learning needs
Ability KC is a designated Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) with a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.