Finding out or realising your child will need extra support is hard. You and others who love your child will have to adjust to what this means for you all.

The way you cope is individual and may not be the same as for other family members. This is normal. How you feel can change from day to day, maybe even minute to minute. Sometimes you might find it hard to look to the future.

There are no wrong feelings. You might feel angry, sad, lonely and confused or you might feel strong, determined, and protective – maybe all on the same day.

Be patient with yourself and others it takes time – even your difficult feelings do not take away from how much you love your child.

Find friends and family that you can talk to easily.

Understand that you and your partner may not both be feeling the same. You may find it hard to be there for each other sometimes. Agree to check in on how you are both feeling without judging.

Make sure information you look at about any diagnosis is up to date and still relevant. Care and treatments are progressing all the time.

Try not to look too far ahead. Mindfulness can help keep focus on what is happening now.

Even when feel you have been coping for a while, there can be bumps in the road. These can cause the difficult feelings to flare up aga