Divorces are tough on everyone, but they can present special challenges for children with disabilities.

Divorce agreements involving children with disabilities can be particularly complex.

Not only are there more decisions to make, but each decision tends to be more complicated.

Children with disabilities often need more stable environments than other children.

Even minor adjustments to routines can cause emotional disturbances.

Since a divorce can cause major disruptions, it’s critical to work even harder to foster stability and steadfast support.

Since stable routines are critical, transitions between homes can present problems.

Extra emphasis should be placed on maintaining established pick up locations and times.

Longer visits with each parent are preferable to short and erratic visits.

Ensuring similar routines in each household helps to minimize stress.

Providing appropriate social outlets for children with disabilities can be challenging.

Coordination between parents is even more critical when overcoming barriers to inclusion.

It’s important to know who is supervising activities and whether children without disabilities are involved.

Parents with special needs children may have to make sensitive medical decisions.

Parents must decide who will make those decisions and how they will share information about medical situations.

They must also agree on procedures for administering medication, making appointments, and granting consent to perform invasive procedures.

Caring for children with disabilities can place extraordinary burdens on parents.

If the child lives with one parent, the strain of providing specialized assistance can be overwhelming.

It may be necessary to find specially qualified caregivers to relieve overburdened parents.

Children with disabilities often have special educational needs.

It’s important to determine which parent will make decisions about the child’s education.

There should be a procedure for dealing with disagreements if decisions are shared.

Both parents should work to ensure the child is enrolled in special classes and arrives on time.

It’s important to help children with disabilities make the transition to adulthood.

Even though parents are divorced, they should discuss continuing education opportunities, future employment options, and long-term life goals.

Every effort should be made to ensure the divorce doesn’t affect the child’s prospects for independence.

Since 2003, the McFarling Law Group has been committed to helping spouses, parents, and children through the practice of

family law. As a certified divorce lawyer in Las Vegas, Emily McFarling, Esq. has successfully represented clients in all areas

of family law, including prenuptial agreements, divorce proceedings, spousal support issues, and child custody cases.

For more information, please visit www.mcfarlinglaw.com.