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Divorce when you have a child who has special needs

Raising a child who has special needs can be challenging. For some parents, the increase in medical and life care costs, decrease in their ability to work and similar factors make the situation complex. Making everything work when you have a two-parent home can be difficult, but the situation becomes more challenging if you go through a divorce.

There are several things that you need to do if you’re embarking on the journey of a single parent to a child who doesn’t have typical needs. One of the most important things you need to do is take care of yourself. You won’t be able to make sure your child has what they need if you’re running on fumes.

Work out the parenting schedule

The parenting time schedule might be your key to being able to have some downtime for yourself. You can take that time when your child spends time with their other parent. Of course, this is only the case if your ex knows how to properly care for the child.

Plan for equipment exchanges

There are some pieces of equipment that a child who has special needs may require. Some of these are costly, so getting one for each parent’s home might not be possible. Work out the exchange methods and strategies for that equipment.

Consider an unconventional parenting arrangement

One option might be using bird’s nest parenting, which involves parents rotating out of the home the child resides in instead of having the child go back and forth between homes. When you use this method, you need to consider how the expenses related to the home will be handled.

Regardless of how you and your ex decide you’re going to handle the parenting arrangement, you need to get the terms in writing. The parenting plan is the roadmap for taking care of these matters so both parents know their responsibilities and what to expect.