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A parenting plan is the blueprint a child’s parents follow after divorce. Ideally, the parenting plan will take stock of each parent’s work schedules when determining a child’s schedule. A solid parenting plan preempts disagreement while allowing each parent to maintain a relationship with their children.
However, a child with special needs can throw a wrench into standard parenting plans. The Utah Courts publish a fill-in-the-blank parenting plan, which some parents find helpful. Unfortunately, this type of standard plan might not work for families with a special needs child. Contact Fontenot Law, P.C. for help drafting a plan geared toward the realities of your life.
Unique Issues with Special Needs Children
The basic parenting plan will lay out a child’s schedule, i.e., when the child will be with each parent. The plan should also include information regarding who can make legal decisions for the child, as well as when and how parents will exchange the child.
If your child has special needs, there are other aspects which must be included in a parenting plan.
Keeping Up with Appointments
Each special needs child has a team, which can be made up of medical professionals, social workers, case managers, tutors, schools and other education institutions, therapists, and specialists. Parents will need to learn how to collaborate with these teams when the parents do not live together.
The parenting plan should include information about schedules and transportation to appointments. For example, your child might go to a specialist every Friday afternoon. If one parent has moved far away, your child cannot visit this parent on Fridays or possibly even Saturdays, since they need to go to the specialist.
Because special needs children often have many appointments, parents have their work cut out for them when it comes to seeing their children. This is especially true of the non-custodial parent. This parent might possibly need to rent an apartment or find a place to stay closer to the children.
Maintaining Stability
Parents might dream of splitting physical custody 50/50, with their children regularly shuttling between two households. However, your child’s sensory or emotional issues could make that type of arrangement unrealistic. Maybe your special needs child has a negative reaction to regular change.
Parents need to be sensitive to their child’s wellbeing. However, both parents want meaningful time with their child, so coming up with a schedule is challenging.
One option is to maintain an apartment, which both parents share. The parents then cycle in and out of the home to spend time with their special needs child.
Sharing Information
Parents should come up with a way to share information regarding their special needs child for such critical topics as:
- Medication
- Therapy
- Education or tutoring
If parents share legal custody, then both parents need this information so they can make informed choices for the child. Often, a parent who lives farther away feels left out of the loop.
Taking Breaks
Parents do not have to be heroes when they have a special needs child. Every parent needs a break to refresh and recharge. Without this type of self-care, parents can feel overwhelmed and ultimately will be less effective as parents. Probably the easiest way to fail your child is to never have a break.
Include regular vacations in your parenting plan, especially where custody is not 50/50. The primary custodial parent needs time written into the parenting plan where they can take a break from the children.
Alternatively, your child might go to summer camp for a longer break. And if this is an option, parents should include how they will pay for it.
Splitting Costs
This is more of a child support issue, but special needs children often have unusual medical or educational expenses. Parents should make sure they are splitting these costs in a fair way.
Also, one parent might want to take the lead on paying all bills and then receive reimbursement from the other parent. That way, you ensure continuity of care for your special needs child because bills are always being paid in a timely manner.
Need Help? Contact a Family Law Attorney at Fontenot Law, P.C.
Parenting plans are difficult to draft under the best of circumstances. There is so much up in the air, especially if parents have not been living apart for very long. Work with an established law firm like Fontenot Law, P.C., for help with any child custody issue. We know the challenges that come with a special needs child, and we are ready to help you create a solid parenting plan that will promote your child’s safety and health.
