Divorce is always difficult for the children, but what happens when the parents about to split have a child with special needs? According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders has grown to 1 in 110 children today, while another CDC study indicates that 1 in 10 children aged 4 - 17 has been diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Combine these sobering statistics with the ever-rising divorce rates and you have a perfect storm of people navigating the very rocky waters of divorce with the added pressure of needing to effectively co-parent a child with special needs long after their marriage is over.
When my daughter was diagnosed with autism at three-years old, my husband and I joined a parents counseling group at the Julia Ann Singer Center in Los Angeles. Coming to terms with this diagnosis and coping with the needs of an autistic child puts a strain on any marriage. If the relationship doesn't have a solid foundation to begin with, the aftershocks of autism often contribute to the eventual demise of the marriage. I know this from firsthand experience: my husband and I were among the more than 50% of couples in our counseling group who later divorced.
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