Specialized Coaching & Professional Guidance
Standard divorce coaches and family law attorneys are rarely equipped to handle the intersection of autism, disability, and custody. The professionals and directories below specialize in exactly this overlap.
Special Family Transitions LLC. Mary Ann Hughes founded the company. She is a Certified Special Needs Divorce Coach and Co-parenting Specialist. Mary Ann is also a mother of two children on the autism spectrum. Hughes guides families through the entire divorce and co-parenting process. She focuses on autistic and disabled children. Additionally, she writes extensively for Autism Spectrum News. She also co-directs the Special Needs Chapter of the National Association for Divorced Professionals (NADP).
DivorceCoachPlus. Dr. Susan Korb Bernstein is a Certified Special Needs Divorce Coach. She works nationally. She pairs families with attorneys, financial planners, and special needs experts. She specializes in structuring custody agreements and trusts that protect children’s eligibility for government benefits. Offers a free initial consultation.
CDC Certified Special Needs Divorce Coach Directory. A directory of coaches holds the CDC Special Needs Divorce Coach certification. They are trained to address unique emotional, legal, financial, and caregiving issues. These arise when divorcing parents have a child with a disability or autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Spectrum News – Divorce & Co-Parenting Articles. An ongoing series of expert-authored articles covering divorce transitions, co-parenting conflict resolution, and custody planning for families with autistic children. Hosted a free virtual Divorce with Special Needs Children Summit in January 2026. Search the site for ‘divorce’ to access the full library.
Legal & Financial Resources
Divorce involving a disabled child requires extensive legal and financial planning. This goes well beyond a standard custody case. It includes special needs trusts, extended child support past age 18, and guardianship after emancipation. Protection of SSI and Medicaid eligibility is also necessary.
Special Needs Alliance. A national nonprofit of attorneys focused on disability and public benefits law. It includes a searchable, state-by-state attorney directory. It also provides detailed guidance. This guidance covers the intersection of divorce, custody, special needs trusts, SSI eligibility, and guardianship for disabled children. An essential starting point for legal planning.
Special Needs Alliance – Find an Attorney. A direct link is available to the SNA’s state-organized directory of attorneys. These attorneys are experienced in special needs law. Some of them handle divorce-related planning for families with disabled children.
Special Needs Law Group – Divorce & Estate Planning. Detailed guidance is provided on four elements of divorce for special needs families. These include monetary support, custody and visitation, insurance, and asset distribution. Addresses child support past age 18, guardianship conflicts after emancipation, and structuring trusts to preserve benefit eligibility.
Medical Home Portal – Divorce & Children with Disabilities. A practical reference covers custody considerations and IEP rights. It also includes IDEA provisions, SSI planning, and guardianship details. Independent living and respite care access are addressed for divorced parents of disabled children. Includes links to U.S. Department of Education resources.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – U.S. Dept. of Education. The official federal resource for IDEA, which governs special education rights for children with disabilities ages birth to 21. Critical for divorced parents coordinating IEP participation, school district selection in shared custody arrangements, and special education decision-making authority.
Custody X Change – Autism and Divorce Guide. This is a dedicated guide. It covers custody schedule design for autistic children. The guide includes visual calendar tools and co-parent messaging. It also considers routine, therapy access, and school stability. The Custody X Change app can generate court-ready parenting plans.
Clinical & Educational Resources
These resources offer research-backed guidance from hospitals, autism organizations, and clinical specialists. They discuss how divorce and custody transitions affect autistic and disabled children. They also provide information on how parents can best support them.
CHOP Center for Autism Research – Divorce, Custody, and ASD. Guidance from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia addresses several key topics. It covers custody schedule design for autistic children and school district decisions under shared custody. It also focuses on maintaining therapy consistency across two households and emphasizes the importance of visual supports during transitions.
Autism NJ – Autism Considerations in Divorce & Custody. A former New Jersey Family Court judge wrote this article. It covers the heightened risks to autistic children in high-conflict divorces. The article also examines the role of mediation as an alternative to litigation. It includes specific co-parenting considerations like service continuity, training for both parents, and custodial scheduling. Includes a referral contact for families seeking professionals with both family law and autism expertise.
Autism Parenting Magazine – Autism and Divorce. Practical strategies for divorced parents of autistic children include using social stories and visual schedules to explain custody transitions. Collaborating with Certified Special Needs Divorce Coaches is important. Parents should also manage behavioral changes during and after the divorce process.
Psychology Today – Divorce and Special Needs Children. A clinical perspective on developing parenting plans for special needs children covers several topics. It addresses custody schedule flexibility and sibling dynamics. Birdnesting is considered as a transition option. Particular challenges arise when parents disagree about the child’s diagnosis or care needs.
2houses – Co-Parenting an Autistic Child. A practical guide on how to explain divorce to an autistic child. It also covers managing transitions and maintaining routines. The guide includes suggestions for introducing new partners, with co-parenting tool recommendations tailored to two-household families.
Support Groups & Communities
Virtual Support Groups
Parents Helping Parents – Virtual Support Groups. Offers two directly relevant free, ongoing virtual support groups. One group is for parents of children with autism, ADHD, and sensory needs. Another separate group is for parents navigating difficult divorces including custody battles. Groups use a trauma-informed, mutual aid model with trained facilitators. Free, confidential, and open to new members at any time.
National Association for Divorced Professionals (NADP) – Special Needs Chapter. This is a professional association with a Special Needs Chapter. It connects parents with coaches, mediators, and other professionals. These individuals specialize in divorce involving disabled children. Can serve as a referral network for parents seeking peer-informed professional support.
Online Communities
r/Autism – Reddit. A large Reddit community of autistic individuals and parents. Threads on divorce, custody, and co-parenting an autistic child appear regularly and offer peer experience and practical advice.
r/Parenting – Reddit. Search ‘co-parenting autism’ or ‘special needs custody’ within this community. You will find active threads from divorced parents. They are navigating custody with autistic or disabled children.
Autism Parenting Support Groups – Facebook. Search Facebook for ‘autism parenting divorce’ or ‘special needs custody support.’ You will find active private groups. In these groups, divorced parents of autistic children share resources, legal experiences, and emotional support. Groups such as ‘Autism Parenting Support’ and ‘Special Needs Divorce Support’ are among the most active.
Special Needs Alliance Community Forum. The SNA blog features community discussion threads on real cases involving divorce and disability. These include custody disputes, child support for adult disabled children, and guardianship transitions. A useful resource for understanding how other families have navigated these issues.