“Families with special needs children have higher divorce rates” (Price, 2011)

WHAT IS DIVORCE?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines divorce as “the action or an instance of legally dissolving a marriage.” (Merriam Webster).  Divorce is a heavy topic that, depending on the individuals, may be stressful, emotional, relieving, or confusing; there are many feelings a person may be having towards divorce. 

It is well-known that divorce affects children in many ways. As Ashliegh Ramirez pointed out yesterday, divorce not only affects the couple, but it also affects children. Ramirez went on and described how divorce affects children and stated several interesting facts. But in my part of the blog assignment, I’d like to dig deeper and focus on how divorce impacts children with special needs (exceptional children). I’ve been interested in special education for a while now, and I wanted to research on how children special needs are impacted by the separation of their parents. Some of the facts I found are mind-blowing! 

TYPICAL & ATYPICAL CHILDREN: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Let’s begin by defining and describing what is a “typical child” and a “special needs” child. A typical child, as defined by K. Eileen Allen and Glynnis E. Cowdery (2012), as a child who is developing normally. These children are mastering the specific skills based on their age. For example, by five or six months, nearly all infants should show trunk control. Between eighteen and thirty six months, Allen and Cowdery (2012) point out, that toddlers are moving and their walking becomes steady. Correspondingly, by the preschool years, most children work on their basic motor skills. Now you’re probably thinking, what is a “special needs” child? A special needs child is atypical child, meaning that his or her development is different than a typical’s child development in early childhood (Allen and Cowdery, 2012).  As stated by Allen and Cowdery (2012), “classifying children as ‘exceptional’ or ‘developing atypically’ presents on going problems.” Research points out that in 1960s, children were referred to as “crippled” (Allen and Cowdery, 2012) and “retarded” (Allen and Cowdery, 2012). Years later, however, terms came into use by society that had covered several disabilities. A special needs child is also can be called as an exceptional child. Allen and Cowdery (2012) define this term as, "a term coined at the 1930 White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals to refer to all children who are different from typically developing children." 

This is an example of what people should say when describing a child with special needs. People-first language is created by Kathie Snow in 2009 that refers to people with disabilities; first comes the person, and then the disability!! 

I came upon an article by Judith I. Poller and Alicia Fabe that discusses special needs children and divorce. Poller and Fabe (2009) state that there are three general categories: “acute, life threatening medical conditions; chronic and pervasive development disorders; and psychological and behavior disorders.” Poller and Fabe (2009) then proceeded to explain each of the three general categories and provide examples in their article. According to the authors, severe and life threatening condition could be food allergies, asthma or Type 1 diabetes. A child with development disorders could have ADHD, or Asperger’s Syndrome. And lastly, an example of a psychological disorder could be an anxiety or depressive disorders. 

WHAT HAPPENS TO A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD WHEN HIS/HER PARENTS DIVORCE?

There is so much out there on how divorce impacts children. We have discussed it in class and Ashliegh Ramirez also has mentioned it below this post. But how does divorce affect special needs children in particular? Does it affect children with special needs more than typical children or does it affect them less? I found several articles that point out the same thing: divorce affects children with disabilities more than it impacts typical children. In fact, Margaret S. Price expresses in her article that “Families with special needs children have higher divorce rates” (2011). Price proceeds to explain several ways a divorce affects a child with disabilities. For example, children with disabilities may experience guilt. They may think that if they weren’t “extra expense or extra work” (Price, 2011) then the divorce wouldn’t have occurred in the first place. A child with special needs does require a lot more patience, time and finances. As Price indicates in her article, “children with special needs often require one or more types of therapy” (Price, 2011). Not only do these children require therapy, but they also need medications, medical care, and special equipment. Price also addresses other impacts that the divorce has on these children. The author suggests that the child’s symptoms may worsen. A child may have “aggression, loss of social skills, and emotional outbursts” (Price, 2011). Additionally, there is a chance the child may fall into depression, have ideas of suicide, or may have the desire to run away. Even though divorce affects everyone, including children, I believe that it has a bigger impact on children with special needs. 

Questions:

1. Why do you think couples who have special needs children are more frequently to divorce? 

2. How else can divorce affect children with special needs?

3. Do you think that divorce has a bigger impact on children with special needs than typical children?

- Irina Dey 

References:

Divorce. (n.d.). In Merriam - Webster online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divorce

Allen, E. K., & Cowdery, E. G. (2012). The Exceptional Child Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, 81=89.

Poller, J. L., & Fabe, A. (2009). Legal and Financial Issues in a Divorce When There is a "Special Needs" Child. American Journal Of Family Law, 22(4), 192-201.

Price, M. S. (2011). Divorce Issues and the Special Needs Child. American Journal Of Family Law, 25(1), 28-36.

Images:

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Divorce-Laws.jpg

http://www.wnyfamilymagazine.com/images/Special-Needs-Cover-08.jpg

http://pdfcast.org/data/screenshot/Examples-Of-People-First-Language-Document-Transcript-1522.jpg