Q&A Ask Special Parents

Question: I need some advice on how to give your other children, without special needs, just as much attention as your special needs child? I have a 6 year old son who has always been very calm and easy going and now he’s acting out. My daughter is 19mos with special needs and a lot of attention goes to her. My husband and I are tired and stressed and I think my son is feeling a little left out and maybe jealous. I don’t know what to do.

~Keisha C.

Answer: We tried to schedule “Mommy” or “Daddy” time with the siblings individually and do something special with them. It doesn’t always help when you have a child acting out right then, but it has helped our children. To lessen distractions, we actually left the house (or did not have their brother along) just so they knew that THEY were the focus and not their brother. Above all, reassure your son that you LOVE him just as much and that it’s just that his sister needs some more attention right now.up!

~Amy Edge Zurasky

Helpful Articles

• Balancing the Care of Siblings with Different Needs
• Why Siblings Are Too Important To Ignore
• Let’s Recognize and Celebrate How Special Siblings Are
• A Letter to the Sibling of a Child with Special Needs
• I Am The Ghost of Your Future
• Siblings Are Special, Too
• Engaging Siblings to Build Social Skills: A Relative Solution to a Complex Problem
• Paige Talhelm: My Brother Helped Shape Who I Am and Will Become…
• Real Moms Share: Michele Gianetti
• Family: Where Life Begins & Love Never Ends

Free Downloads

• How to let Young Siblings Know you Care
• What Siblings would like Parents and Service Providers to Know

This post originally appeared on our September/October 2011 Magazine