As I began my inquiry I thought I would look at how parents may feel when their child is first diagnosed with a disability and where they can go for information and support. I found a News Digest article published by The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) that addresses what parents experience when they learn that their child has a disability. The author, Patricia McGill Smith is a parent of a child with a disability and she draws on her personal experiences and research to offer advice and support. As a parent I know the excitement, joy, nerves, dreams, and hopes when you first have a child. How would you react to finding out that your child has a disability? The author discusses common reactions experienced by parents of children with disabilities. Some of these reactions include; denial, anger, grief, loss, fear, guilt, rejection, and confusion. It is small in comparison but when we discovered my daughter's allergies I worried that maybe I caused it because I didn't eat the right foods when I was pregnant. I was terrified to feed her anything but whole foods and I was really upset. My extended family had many questions and their own ideas about how to handle her allergies. It was overwhelming. Smith states that by working through these emotions and acceptance, is the beginning to finding the positives and blessings of having a child with a disability.

The article stresses the importance of seeking out support from your mate, family, significant other, other parents with children with disabilities, and to research any and all information available about the disability. The author discovered that speaking with parents that could relate to what she was experiencing and taking everything one day at a time she found hope. Smith highlights the importance of not going through the journey of having a child with a disability alone, staying informed, and accepting the journey with love.

http://nichcy.org/

nichcy.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/nd20.pdf