When there is a child with a disability in the family, there are additional responsibilities placed upon the parents and the couple relationship. How one originally intended to parent may be compromised by the constant flow of input from doctors, therapists, and friends. The reverie of pregnancy may be replaced by all the unknowns of the future and the shift in expectations of one’s child. There may be concern around the child not meeting milestones or having disabilities that require extensive care.

One parent may feel that they are carrying the emotional load while the other may minimize or deny the particular challenges of their child. It can become difficult to just “be” with one’s child without always feeling like there is something to work on. Being in the midst of so much overwhelming input can take away from just enjoying one’s child. I work with individual parents and couples from a neurodiversity-affirming framework to communicate these intense feelings and bring them together around their shared love of their child.