Chaya and Mike speak with Dr. Margaret “Pegi” Price, a distinguished professor, legal expert, and program director at National University, about her journey blending personal experience as a parent with her career in family law. Dr. Price shares some eye-opening insights from her book, The Special Needs Child and Divorce, and explains how small changes in legislation and legal practices can make a huge impact for families navigating these challenges.

We Also Cover:

• Best practices for individualized parenting plans.
• How transformative mediation elevates cooperation.
• Addressing gaps in family court systems for unique needs.
• Navigating the emotional landscape of divorce.
• Crisis planning and lessons learned post-pandemic.
• The importance of consistent routines for neurodivergent children.
• Strategies for navigating special needs legislation at the state level.
• How emotional burnout in parents impacts child development and legal outcomes.
• The disparity in parental decision-making across different cases.
• Integrating dispute resolution into long-term support plans for families.

Quotes:

• “Parenting ability has nothing to do with gender. Moms aren't always the best parent. Dads aren't always the best parent. It's the individual who prioritizes their child's needs that is a good parent.”
• “Children tend to blame themselves when their parents divorce. They think it was their fault. Now, consider an intelligent child with special needs. That child would have that guilt magnified because they'd think, 'Oh, I was too much trouble.'”
• “A person who is neurodiverse might struggle with transitions and parenting plans often have cookie cutter schedule where the child is with mom every Monday and Tuesday, with dad every Wednesday and Thursday, and then they alternate the long weekends. Would you like to be living out of a suitcase like that for years?”

About Dr. Margaret “Pegi” Price:

Dr. Margaret 'Pegi' Price is a distinguished Professor and Academic Program Director with over 25 years of experience in higher education, specializing in public administration, law, and dispute resolution. She currently serves as the Academic Program Director for the Master of Public Administration at National University in San Diego, California. Dr. Price's diverse background includes a successful legal career spanning civil trial work and prosecution, as well as extensive academic leadership at colleges and universities across the Midwest. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Teacher of the Year award (1992) and is a member of the Missouri Bar and Mensa. Her academic credentials include a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida, where she was a Senior Editor of the Law Review and achieved the first perfect score in the Law Review's annual writing competition. She also holds a B.A. in History from the University of North Florida. In addition to her legal and academic pursuits, Dr. Price is an accomplished author, with her notable book Divorce and the Special Needs Child: A Guide for Parents (2010) published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Her scholarly articles focus on complex issues surrounding family law, special needs children, mental health, and divorce, often collaborating with renowned researchers like J. Hamlin and N. Golden. Her expertise in special needs law, especially as it relates to families and divorce, has led her to speak extensively at national and international legal conferences. She is recognized for her insight into the unique challenges faced by families with special needs children, and her work aims to improve judicial understanding and outcomes in these complex cases.

Connect with Dr. Price:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-pegi-price-1b15a7224/
• https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-8_ojS0AAAAJ&hl=en
• Pegi's Book (Divorce & The Special Needs Child) https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Special-Needs-Child-Parents-ebook/dp/B005M08CUI?ref_=ast_author_mpb
• https://www.nu.edu/degrees/school-of-public-service/faculty/dr-margaret-price/
• https://www.americanbar.org/products/inv/book/426311978/

Further Reading and Resources:

• https://www.specialneedsalliance.org/
• https://www.aaml.org/wp-content/uploads/MAT103_5.pdf
• https://books.google.com/books?id=G8mg5mGvgRgC&lpg=PR9&ots=NPl4ZJchzF&lr&pg=PR9
• https://www.fenchelfamilylaw.com/blog/2024/10/navigating-divorce-with-a-child-who-has-special-needs-what-california-parents-need-to-know/
• https://www.mayinstitute.org/news/acl/asd-and-dd-child-focused/keeping-a-marriage-together-while-raising-a-child-with-special-needs/
• https://undivided.io/resources/navigating-divorce-and-co-parenting-children-with-disabilities-undivided-conversations-2222
• https://sesameworkshop.org/topics/divorce/
• https://www.pureheartstherapy.com/podcast/autism-family-resources/navigating-divorce-with-a-special-needs-child-protecting-your-childs-well-being

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