In the last six months, COVID-19 has upended our daily lives and fundamentally changed the way we work, interact and coexist. For many individuals and families, the pandemic not only torpedoed summer vacation plans and dashed hopes for a “normal” school year, it also forced many of us to confront somber topics such as illness, death and incapacitation in ways that we may not have before. This is especially true for parents of children with special needs or permanent cognitive disabilities.

While these subjects can feel overwhelming—particularly now, when our collective anxiety is peaking—a constructive way to manage these feelings of unease and uncertainty is with proper planning and preparation. For those faced with these personal challenges or advising parents of children with disabilities who are concerned about the child’s ability to handle important decisions about their own physical, economic and/or social well-being in the future, the time to plan and act is sooner rather than later. Parents of special needs and developmentally-disabled children should educate themselves about legal guardianship and explore their options with an attorney well before the child’s eighteenth birthday.

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