Going through a divorce when children are involved is always more complicated. You and your ex need to maintain some kind of working relationship for the benefit of your kids. If you have a child with special needs, there are even more considerations that you and your ex will need to iron out.
Tailored care
There are a wide variety of factors you’ll want to sort through, depending on your child’s individual needs. For instance:
- If your child requires specific medical care, are both you and your ex equipped to provide it?
- If your child has physical disabilities, are both of your respective homes set up with accessible entries?
- If your child requires special services, will they have access to these from both parents’ homes?
- If your child requires public benefits, what are the limits of these? How will this affect child support?
Custody considerations
Divorce marks a major life change for everyone in the family. If you have a child on the autism spectrum, permanence and predictability are especially important. A more traditional custody schedule where the child moves back and forth between their parents’ homes every few days may be overly upsetting for your child and could lead to conflict. You may need to set up an alternate custody schedule that will cause your child less stress and anxiety.
If you and your ex can’t agree
In a perfect world, all co-parents would be able to set aside their differences and come to agreements together for the sake of their children. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. If you and your ex are unable to agree on your parenting plan, mediation can be a good option. A lawyer can work with you both to come up with a solution that everyone can be happy with.
