How to support my family member with a disability?

The family is the main support of the person with intellectual disability.

It is important to know what supports you may need and how the family can contribute to the quality of life of your family member.

Early attention

What supports will my child need?

Each child evolves in a different way; no one knows how your child will evolve and we don't know what supports and services they will need.

The specialized professionals will give you adequate guidance at all times.

It is important to live day to day, enjoy your child and collaborate with the professionals who care for them.

How can I help you? Can I do something else? Are we doing it right?

Parents are the people who have the most contact and bond with your children and your relationship is very important: when talking to them, singing, caressing them, laughing, changing diapers ..., you are stimulating them in a way natural and favoring its development.

It is important to take advantage of day-to-day situations to stimulate them and act naturally, as you would or do, with the rest of your children.

Families have a fundamental role in how the future of your child will be:

• giving them opportunities to participate in family activities, with friends, in the community ...
• claiming their rights and helping to build the support they need on a day-to-day basis.

But do not forget to take care of yourself, to be good for your child.

Will it walk? Going to talk? What happens to him, when is it going to be removed? 

Nobody knows that, each person is unique. The important thing is to work without roofing ourselves, to go as far as possible.

It depends on the cause and how it evolves: in some cases, it can disappear and in others, not. But what is clear is that, with the right supports, all children can improve their development.

Are we doing it right?

Surely yes. Keep in mind that you learn from mistakes and that we all have the right to make mistakes.

You can count on the support of professionals and other family members who have gone through the same situation as you and who can provide you with information and their experience.

What happens to my child if all the tests are good?

Science has come a long way, but there are still many disorders and difficulties in development, which go undetected because there are no medical tests for them and it is not known what they cause.

Although they are not detected, behavioral or developmental signs do appear and psycho-pedagogical tests or developmental scales can be passed to help focus the supports and / or treatment that can help you.

How long will you have to be in Early Care?

Early attention is important for the development of the child; That is why it is important that you stay until one of the following reasons is met:

• By age. According to the autonomous communities it has a different duration: it can be from 0 to 3 years, from 0 to 4 years or from 0 to 6 years.
• By schooling. When you go to a school, you will receive most of the supports at the center.
• By the evolution of the child. He is discharged from the service because his development has improved.

What about after early intervention?

From the age of 6, education is compulsory: children are cared for in schools by teams of educational and psych pedagogical guidance; They can also have the support of professionals in therapeutic pedagogy, hearing, language and physical therapy ...

There are also other public and private organizations that can provide support:

• Health services (primary care, mental health ...).
• Hospitals (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy ...).
• Private cabinets ...

There are some financial aid to pay for some additional support: the Ministry of Education annually announces aid for students with specific needs for educational support, aimed at pedagogical and language re-education.

To find out if there are other grants, check with your federation

Why my child?

That no one knows, it may simply have been a matter of chance. It is important that you surround yourself with family, friends or an association that can help you in these moments and that make you not feel alone.

It's my fault?

The feeling of guilt is human and more so when there is no clear diagnosis that justifies what is happening; but we should not blame ourselves for it. There are many factors that may have played a role.

Would it be good for you to have more siblings?

This is an important decision that you must make as a family: you should not look for a child to help your sibling with a disability, but because you really want to.

How will you be able to access the supports you need to have a good quality of life?

Having a good support network is very important to achieve that quality of life.

Everyone as a family, including the person, we can surround ourselves with people who support and accompany us in our lives. Many are already there; you just have to look around you.

You can count on the support of Full Inclusion entities, where you can find mutual support groups (self-advocates, mothers and fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters, etc.) and professionals and volunteers who can accompany you. You are not alone.

Will you be as well cared for at Disability maternity care as at home?

Disability maternity care is thinking so that both the family who requests it and the person who uses it directly, are at ease

The person has all their needs covered. Professionals ensure that:

• Enjoy that time.
• Do pleasant activities, appropriate to your needs and your day to day.

It is also an opportunity for our family member to leave their home, meet and interact with other people, in other environments ...

And for the family, rest and have time.

To find out what respite options there are, check with your federation

Is there an activity in which my child can do a small group of friends?

To make friends it is important that you participate in activities and places where you can meet people with whom you can share time, tastes and hobbies.

You can go to a cultural center, civic center, associations ..., which offer different activities, where you will find people with the same hobbies.

In addition, many Full Inclusion entities have leisure programs and services that offer the possibility of socializing with other people and participating in community activities frequently. You can request information in your federation

Of course, the fundamental thing is that your child enjoys with other people.