Parenting teenagers is not for cowards. The mere mention of the word “adolescence” can send some people into a panic. Raging hormones, changing bodies and eyes toward the future is a tough combination to try and manage. Children that have been compliant and relatively easy to handle wake up one morning as aliens foreign to their parents and the ways of the family.
Add in any kind of special need and parenting becomes that much more complicated. It’s true that not all children are the same. Even among what would be considered “normal” development children vary tremendously. But children tasked with managing a developmental disorder on top of the changes the teen years bring have a heavy load indeed.
Remember you have to survive these years too. You have to still be living and carrying on after the children graduate high school and move on. Your mental health and physical well-being is just as important as theirs. What are some things you can be doing along the way to ensure you both survive and thrive during these years? Here are some ideas for surviving teens with special needs:
Parenting any child is seemingly never-ending but the reality is that most children do grow up and move out and have their own life. There will be some that are unable to live on their own and will require additional supports from you or perhaps another living situation. But this season will pass. Your child will not be a teenager forever. You will survive this season.
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Speak with a Specialist 1-800-367-2367
Speak with a Specialist 1-800-367-2367