Parenting Plans for Special Needs Children: Applying a Risk‐Assessment Model

Abstract

Family courts are seeing an increasing number of separating or divorced families who have a special needs child. These cases present complex challenges for family law professionals charged with crafting parenting plans based on best interests standards. For many of these children, the typical developmentally based custodial arrangements may not be suitable, given the child's specific symptoms and treatment needs. We present a model for understanding how the general and specific needs of these children, as well as the demands on parents, can be assessed and understood in the context of divorce. This includes an analysis of risk and protective factors that inform timeshare and custodial recommendations and determinations. The risk assessment model is then applied to three of the most commonly occurring childhood neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders likely to be encountered in family court, namely, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depressive disorders, and autistic spectrum disorders. There has been a dramatic rise in the population of children with neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and medical syndromes whose parents are disputing custody in the family courts. Family law professionals of all disciplines should develop a fundamental knowledge base about the most commonly seen special needs children in family court, such as those with neurodevelopmental conditions like autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and severe depressive disorders (especially with teenagers), which may involve suicidal or self‐harming behaviors. Commonly recommended parenting plans may be inappropriate for many special needs children, as some function significantly below their chronological age and pose extreme behavioral challenges. A systematic analysis of risk and protective factors should inform timeshare arrangements and determinations with this varied population, including the safety of the child and severity of the disorder, parental commitment and availability to pursue medical, educational, and therapeutic services, the parental attunement and insightful about the problem, and the differential parenting skills of each parent.

Understanding Parental Gatekeeping in Families with a Special Needs Child

“…As Pickar and Kaufman (2015) have previously noted, this does not mean that households need to be mirror images of each other. The ADHD child has symptoms that impede their successful completion of school assignments and acquisition of school-based information as well as negatively impact peer behaviors and place high demands on parents.…”

“…In a previous publication (Pickar & Kaufman, 2015) we addressed the multiple factors that must be weighed with this population of children, which differs from considerations in other families. This is especially so for those who are tasked with developing parenting plans that address the child's best interests.…”

“…They may research the disorder extensively, take a very hands-on approach to seeking out treatment providers, Table 1 Parenting Plans for Special Needs Children (SNC): Applying a Risk-Assessment Model (Pickar & Kaufman, 2015) SNC suffer from a range of disorders of varying complexity and differing levels of severity. By way of example, differences in parenting styles can become more at issue when children are less adaptable and have specific environmental requirements.…”

“…This is especially so for those who are tasked with developing parenting plans that address the child's best interests. In a previous publication (Pickar & Kaufman, 2015) we addressed the multiple factors that must be weighed with this population of children, which differs from considerations in other families. In addition, we presented a risk assessment model for use in child custody decision making with special needs children.…”

Atitudes dos pais em relação à inclusão: Contributos de um estudo quantitativo<br>Parental attitudes toward inclusion: Contributions of a quantitative study

“…Se é verdade que a investigação tem mostrado que têm desafios acrescidos pela educação de uma criança com necessidades especiais, com reflexos, muitas vezes elevados, na sua qualidade de vida e na própria estrutura familiar (e.g. : Bertelli, Bianco, Rossi, Scuticchio, & Brown, 2011;Pickar & Kaufman, 2015;Pinto, Macedo, & Dias, 2012), não é menos verdade que as famílias são pilares essenciais na motivação dos professores, dos restantes pais e das restantes crianças, desmistificando ideias erradas em relação às incapacidades e promovendo atitudes mais favoráveis. Aliás, vários são os estudos que apontam o efeito das mensagens explíci-tas e/ou implícitas que os pais, seja dos alunos com necessidades especiais como os que não têm necessidades especiais, transmitem nos colegas e nos pais dos restantes alunos, nos professores e nas próprias escolas (ex.…”