Special needs children

When a child with special needs is born a state of negative emotions engulfs the family. These emotions include anger, fury and blaming between the parents. Sometimes the parents accept the situation as it is and try to help their child to the best of their abilities. On the other hand the stability of the family is destroyed and the family breaks apart.

How to best approach this kind of a situation?

Two things must be done:

1. STABILISE THE FAMILY

The parents should try and stabilize the family to the best of their abilities. The child should be accepted with all of its flaws and virtues, as all people are. THERE IS NO GENETICALY PERFECT PERSON, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US HAS HIS/HER FLAWS AND VIRTUES. A stabile and harmonic family environment is needed in order to help the child.

 

2. ESTABILSH A PRECISE GENETIC DIAGNOSIS

After stabilizing the family situation a precise diagnosis must be established due to the following reasons.

  • By establishing a precise genetic diagnosis we can best help the child. By knowing the exact diagnosis the parents of the child will more easily accept their child’s condition, as well as allowing the appropriate healthcare professionals to adequately do their job and properly help the child. It gives us an idea as to how to approach the child.
  • We can more clearly predict the future evolution of the condition and we can act based on this prediction and information
  • Future expansion of the family is safer. If the genetic mutation is discovered, and we discover the way by which it is inherited we can then act accordingly with prenatal diagnosis in future pregnancies. A large number of parents is too scared to have a second child because they fear that it will inherit the same mutation as their firstborn. Also lots of married couples end up divorcing due to them blaming each other for the child’s conditions.
  • A precise genetic diagnosis can help us better understand other family members and their risks for developing certain condition or burthening their offspring with said conditions.
  • Known the precise diagnosis and way of inheritance can offer a sigh of relief and the mutual blame game between the parents.
    Due to all of the facts mentioned above the correct manner of approach if there is a special needs child within the family is as follows:GENETIC COUNSELING→ GENETIC TESTING→ PRECISE DIAGNOSIS

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