Autism and Divorce
Marriage is hard. Everyone can agree on that. But parents of children with autism have unique challenges.
It’s not so much that the autism issue is the reason marriage is hard, but that this challenge can bring all the other difficult issues to the surface. Things like division of labor in the household, where the money is spent, and time along together without the children can become even more difficult to sort out.
Once a child is diagnosed with autism, parents can go through a grieving process, either going into denial or become nearly obsessed researching best treatment options, dietary changes, and educational support. And if the child’s autism causes behavioral issues, it may be difficult to leave the home, resulting in depression, anxiety, isolation and conflict between parents.
The question is: are parents of children with autism more prone to divorce? According to Dr. Brian Freedman of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a 2010 study found virtually no difference in divorce rates. There are other studies that indicate the rate of divorce in these couples could be as high as 80%. Kymberly Grosso, blogger at Autism in Real Life, conducted a survey of 52 divorced parents raising a child with autism asking if this issue led to divorce. In this small, informal survey, 78% of her respondents did divorce after their children were diagnosed. 76% admitted the diagnosis was not the primary cause of their divorce.
Allison Ziering Walmark, blogger and parent of a child with autism, expresses what so many parents have experienced. “Greater financial/emotional burden + convoluted family dynamic = greater marital strain. Every marriage has strain; the addition of a child with special needs merely magnifies that strain.” However difficult it may be, parents wouldn’t change a thing.
