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Extra Special
Parenting a Child With Multiple Special Needs
By Gwen Morrison
Dr. Cigales points out that no one will come knocking on your door with this kind of information – you have to educate yourself. While not always easy to find, there are programs offered federally and privately that provide medical and therapeutic services at no cost to the family. "Unless families are informed, they miss out on many opportunities," she says. "Then there's the battle of getting the services rendered – the waiting lists can be long."
Dr. Cigales says the system is known to be under-funded, overwhelmed and in some cases even incompetent, making it even more imperative that parents become educated about all that is available. "Some programs provide home and/or community-based services," she says. "Through these programs, working parents can sometimes find service providers who can come to their home after work hours."
The problem that arises with these types of services is that they are generally in high demand. Often children end up going without a service provider because both parents need to work, and the demand for after-hours services means being placed on a long waiting list.
"A parent must learn enough about the child's conditions to determine a scientifically sound treatment plan," says Susan Barton, an internationally-recognized expert in the fields of dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and founder of Bright Solutions an educational outreach firm. "This is not just about medication, but how to create the best environment at school and at home," she says.
