Parents the world over rejoice when they first bring their newborn home from the hospital. The bright lights and white walls are not exactly conducive to comfort or cuddles, as some parents unhappily know. For many families of children with special needs, the prospect of care at home is much more agreeable then having their child spend time in a hospital.
In 2010 one study on school children in the U.S. found that approximately 2.8 million children between the ages of 5 and 15 are afflicted with a disability. A disability, as defined by John Hopkins University, is a mental or physical impairment that has a significant impact on the person’s life activities.
Quality care at home is more convenient for some families than driving to regular appointments. For children with an extensive physical disability, support at home is a big help to the child and their parents or primary caregivers. For children who are mentally disabled, at home care can maintain and enhance the child’s learning and coping mechanisms.
Some estimates say that 1 in 88 children born in the U.S. are born Autistic, or with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For these children, it may be difficult to be around strangers in a strange place, making the treatment a stressful event. It is important for these children to receive regular, reliable care that educates them and their families.
The question on anyone’s mind when given a diagnosis– after “can it be cured?”– is how much might this cost? The good news for families is that having care provided at home is very often more cost effective than a stay at the hospital. Every state has some sort of assistance to help children with special needs, whether through Medicaid or Social Security. It is a burden that should not fall solely on the family.
