School-related Stressors for the Parents of Special Needs Children

If you’re the parent to a special needs child, you probably don’tneed to be told what your stressors are. But sometimes it helps to gettips that have worked for other parents. Here are some of our favorites.

Involve your child in determining how you’ll get organized. For example, take them with you to the store (or let them look online)and let them choose the color of notebooks and binders. Ask them to picka hamper for their dirty clothes. Allow them to tell you where they’dlike to store their school supplies.

RESOURCE: www.pinterest.com/organizerhilda/organized-for-school/

Poor time management. Prepare as much as you can the night before: clothes, breakfast dishes,their backpack. Use timers for showers, breakfast and getting dressedif you need to. There are plenty of free and low-cost apps now that canhelp you organize everything: from medication reminders to limiting yourtime on social networks.

RESOURCE: https://screentimelabs.com/

Endless homework time. Homework struggles are typically due to learning struggles, not laziness.Some of the most common that make homework difficult include reading struggles,trouble with math and attention struggles. Nearly 90 percent of learningstruggles are due to weak cognitive skills, like memory, processing speed,logic & reasoning, visual and auditory processing and attention. Sowhat can help end the four-hour ritual? One-on-one brain training. Sometimescalled “personal cognitive skills training,” the programsuse game-like exercises to target and train the skills the brain usesto think, read, learn, remember, and pay attention.

RESOURCE: www.LearningRx.com

Lack of friendships. This goes for you and your child. Ideally, you’ll find another parentor two whose kids have some sort of special need—though it doesn’thave to be the same as your child. You can swap tips, frustrations, resourcesand maybe even babysitting!

RESOURCE: www.meetup.com

Kids and teens with special needs are often the target of bullying, butthey’re also often the bullies themselves! Be sure to ask theirteachers about more than just academics. Do they have friends at recess?Do they sit alone at lunch? Are they evasive around older/bigger kids?You can also looks for symptoms that they’ve been bullied: scratches,bruises, torn clothing or backpacks, withdrawal and anxiety.

RESOURCE: www.stopbullying.gov

Lack of down time. You’re a caregiver. You need support and care for yourself too.Do yoga, go to therapy, take a pottery class, read in the hammock, goon date night or take a bubble bath. If you can, look for resources thatoffer daycare (e.g., the YMCA) so you can swim or exercise in peace.

RESOURCE: www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Ways-Relieve-Stress-31075809

Missing school. Kids with special needs may miss more school than other children due tomental, emotional, financial and physical factors related to their specialneed. These include things like gastrointestinal issues, anxiety and oversleeping.Look for patterns in the days your child misses school. Are they oversleepingon Monday because they stayed up late on the weekend? Are they experiencinggastrointestinal issues after sleeping at someone’s home and strayingfrom their restricted diet? Offer incentives for your child to go to schoolon days when they aren’t truly sick and praise them with certificateswhen they go for an extended period of time with no absences.

RESOURCE: www.freeprintablecertificates.net/category/kids

Physical therapists, pediatricians, dentists, counselors, special ed teachers,language pathologists – for some parents, there are a lot of regularappointments to keep up with. Try to schedule several in one day—andchoose experts near each other if at all possible—so you don’tfeel like you’re constantly spinning your wheels (and your car’s wheels!).

Remember, it’s OK to admit that having a special needs child canbe exhausting and frustrating. You’re human and so are your kids.Get some support from people who “get it” and use these tipsto help relieve a little bit of stress. Just like chocolate, every littlebit helps!

LearningRx specializes in one-on-one brain training. We train cognitiveskills through game-like exercises that are both fun and challenging—andwe do it with a unique personal trainer approach. LearningRx’s customersatisfaction speaks for itself with an average rating of 9.5 out of 10.With 80 centers across the country, LearningRx is a pioneer in the one-on-onebrain training industry. Learn more atwww.LearningRx.com