?He?s run away from class again,? my son?s second-grade teacher told me over the phone. ?He?s hiding in the playground. One of you needs to come get him.?
Long before our son was finally diagnosed with autism at age 10, calls like these became part of our family?s daily life. Along with the calls came the arguments: Who was going to cancel their day?s meetings to pick up our kid?me or my husband" Who was going to ask their boss for flexible work hours" Who was going to make dinner if one of us was exhausted from a day at home with a stressed-out, screaming kid"
No wonder so many marriages collapse under the pressure of raising a special needs child. Just getting from crisis to diagnosis can be an ordeal. First we were told our son was just restless because he was gifted, then we found out that challenges he had, like trouble using a pencil, were due to fine motor problems. Next, we were told he had ADHD, anxiety and a tic disorder. Between the intricacies of dealing with doctors, teachers and social services, and the extra demands of caring for a child with physiological, mental or behavioral challenges, special needs parenting can dramatically increase the stress on parents?and on the relationship they have with one another.  .related-article-block{display:inline-block;width:300px;padding:0.5rem;margin-left:0.5rem;float:right;border:1px solid #ccc}@media (max-width: 525px){.related-article-block{float:none;display:block;width:280px;margin:0 auto 2rem}}

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