ABSTRACT
When a child is first diagnosed with a significant disorder or illness, many parents endure a grief process similar to mourning a death. These parents are grieving the loss of their expectations and dreams for their child and themselves. Grief may give way to feelings of longing, hopelessness, comparison, and missing out, even as parents try to come to terms with their new reality. With support, parents and guardians can begin to let go of preconceived notions, accept a new narrative that redefines “normal,” and, when possible, embrace new paradigms of diversity, neurodiversity, equity, inclusion, and representation. This chapter will take readers through the tears, around the resistance, and behind the defenses, providing strategies for responding to these feelings in ways that are supportive, empathic, collaborative, and productive. Readers will learn to set their specific medical, educational, legal, or other skillset briefly aside and just listen. There is no right or wrong thing to say. Simply allowing and holding space for the grief, helps parents move through it and supports the long-term well-being of the parents and their children.
