If you are the parent of a special needs child and your family is going through a divorce, you are probably well aware that the needs of your child will have to be provided for during and after the divorce process. Fortunately, there is a tool that you can use to ensure that the unique needs of your family are reflected in the outcome of your divorce case.
The parenting plan is an important part of any divorce involving minor children. In a parenting plan, parents set forth their decisions regarding conservatorship, possession, access, and other issues that are relevant to their family. The best parenting plans are the ones which are crafted by both parents. You and your soon to be former spouse know better than anyone else what your children need. You are also the experts on what will work for your family, with your housing situations, work schedules, and all of the other things that are a part of family life. If the two of you can, with the assistance of your attorneys, put together a plan that will work for everyone in your family, it is likely to be approved by the court as being in the best interest of the children.
When you work with your attorney to develop a parenting plan, make sure that it includes all of the things that you do as parents to provide for your children’s special needs. For example, if one or more of your children are following a treatment plan, your parenting plan can provide for the regular evaluation of the treatment plan, as well as how decisions about changing the treatment plan will be made.
The possession and access schedule is an important part of any parenting plan, and parenting plans for families of special needs children are no different. Children do well with predictable daily and weekly routines, and children with special needs may be particularly sensitive to changes in those routines. Even though your divorce will most likely result in your children spending time in two different households, your parenting plan can incorporate daily and weekly activities which you recognize as important to your child’s sense of stability and predictability.
If there are specific educational, medical, or therapeutic programs that you have found to be beneficial for your child, include them in your parenting plan. Make sure that the plan addresses how these activities will fit into the possession and access schedule. Also, include information about which parent is responsible for paying for which programs.
These are a few of the considerations which parents of children with special needs can address in their parenting plans. Since each family is different, be sure that any parenting plan that you propose to the court includes information about the things that are most important to your family. Make sure that you can show how your parenting plan provides for the best interest of each of your children, in case the court has any questions regarding that topic.
An experienced East Texas divorce attorney can help you create a parenting plan which will provide for the needs of all of your children, including any who have special needs. Your attorney can work with your soon to be former spouse or their attorney, if they have one, to reach agreement on the parenting plan for your family. In the event that parenting issues must be litigated, an East Texas Divorce Attorney can help you to present your best case to the court. To learn more, call attorney Alex Tyra today, and schedule a free consultation. We can be reached at (903) 753-7499, or you may visit us online to submit a convenient online contact form.