Respectful Parenting With Special Needs

November 9, 2014 by creativecripple2 2 Comments

Almost without fail, when reading Facebook pages about positive or respectful parenting, I will see a comment stating that these techniques cannot be applied to children with special needs. But why not?

I have a wonderful circle of families around me (both locally and online) who parent gently and among them are children with additional needs, from autism and sensory disorders to rare genetic conditions, Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy. My own son has sensory integration issues stemming from ASD. None of us are perfect but we all share the belief that children should be treated as people rather than inconveniences whether they have special needs or not, because a disability does not make a child less deserving of respect.

In my experience with my son’s ASD I have come to believe that it is incredibly important that I give him as much control over his life as I can and, when I set boundaries, to make them clear and explain the logic behind them. The world can be an overwhelming place to a child with sensory difficulties and autism means that social cues are like a foreign language, difficult to comprehend and reciprocate. These children need their parents to be a safe harbour, where they feel heard and understood, their feelings validated and supported.