Divorce is never easy in Nebraska, but the situation becomes compounded when there are children involved. However, there is a special subset of parents who are going through a divorce who also need to make provisions for their special-needs child. Divorce with children is hard on its own, but special-needs children require a very proactive and nuanced approach. According to The Autism Community in Action, special care needs to be taken with decision-making and compliance where special-needs children are concerned.
While figuring out how to best co-parent the children is difficult enough as it is, things become more complex with special-needs children. For instance, it is important for the primary custodial parent to agree to any current diet or medical treatment plans. This is for two reasons. The first is that sometimes the non-custodial parent will allege that any diet or medical treatment is “experimental,” and this can lead to a court removing monetary provisions for medical care. Second, you need to ensure that both parents are adhering to any agreed-upon diet or medical treatments while the child is in the other’s custody.
Particularly where vaccinations are concerned, getting a clause stating that both partners agree to a particular course of action is paramount. Otherwise, pricey legal battles may come as a result. It is also a good idea to get an agreement where neither parent will take the child to get a “second opinion,” as some parents will get their children diagnosed with a lesser condition to lower medical payments.
Planning for a divorce where children with special needs are concerned requires a lot of forethought and complicated decision-making.