Disability counselors can provide support to children with disabilities, as well as their parents, family, and carers. The counselors also recognize the type of disability and severity level along with comorbid disorders if any and sets up a particular therapy plan for the child. The counselor also psychoeducates the family and people around the disabled child. 

There are multiple ways you as a person can help a child with special needs. A few of them are as follows – 

1) Give them empathy, not sympathy. 

2) Talk to the child as a normal child and not as a special child 

3) Set realistic expectations 

4) Consider their disability wherever needed 

5) Be patient 

6) Treat them well

Families are aware of the impact of historical and societal perceptions toward disability and how that affects societal beliefs. In addition, counselors have a professional responsibility to be aware of their word choice and use of terms when referring to persons with disabilities and their potential impact. More specifically, they need to be mindful of whether they view the child as an individual who has the same rights, needs, and desires as anyone else or if they perceive him as incapable, weak, less than, suffering, pitiful, handicapped, or physically/mentally challenged and so forth. 

Parents love their children, irrespective of their pros and cons. However, handling a child with special needs can be challenging at times, and even at times, parents lose their patience and confidence in themselves. Here are a few challenges that arise when parenting a special kid – 

1) Handling social expectations 

2) Time management 

3) Overcoming self-doubt 

4) Overcoming the question of ‘Why my child?’

5) Building child’s rapport with other people

6) Managing expenses 

7) Creating an ideal support system 

8) Juggling between child, home, and career 

9) Managing one’s physical, mental health 

 Play therapy allows children with disabilities to discover what physical and emotional strengths they have about their disabilities. Play therapy may be directive or nondirective, emotionally or physically focused. Suggestions for specific activities are presented for providing play therapy for children with disabilities. If your child has a diagnosed mental or physical illness, play therapy doesn’t replace medications or any other necessary treatments. Play therapy can be used alone or alongside other therapies.

Play therapy will differ depending on the therapist and the needs of the child. To begin, the therapist may want to observe the child at play. They may also want to conduct separate interviews with the child, parents, or teachers. After a thorough assessment, the therapist will set some therapeutic goals, decide on what limits may be necessary, and formulate a plan for how to proceed. Play therapists pay close attention to how a child handles being separated from the parent, how they play alone, and how they react when the parent returns. Much can be revealed in how a child interacts with different types of toys and how their behavior changes from session to session. They may use play to act out fears and anxieties, as a soothing mechanism, or to heal and problem-solve.

Play therapists use these observations as a guide to the next steps. Each child is different, so therapy will be tailored to their individual needs. As therapy progresses, behaviors and goals can be reassessed.