Custody comes in two forms: legal and physical. Legal custody is the authority to make decisions concerning the minor child(ren)'s health, education and welfare. Physical custody pertains to where the child(ren) sleeps for the majority of the time. Generally, the courts will grant legal custody to the parent having physical custody. This makes sense since the parent taking care of the child(ren) may have to make emergency decisions.

In general, why your child has a hearing loss does not affect how your child will be educated. Management of your child's hearing loss will be based upon the specific characteristics of your child and his or her communication needs. The findings from a genetic evaluation may be relevant for your child's medical care See similar questions...

The older the child, the more influence he or she will be able to exert on the court. Although the court does have the final say, the testimony of the child can place significant weight on the judicial scales. The court does not typically place great weight on the wishes of children under the age of nine. See similar questions...

Legal custody means, “the right to physical custody; the right and duty to protect, train, and discipline; the duty to provide food, clothing, shelter, education and ordinary medical care; the right to determine where and with whom the minor shall live; the right, in an emergency, to authorize surgery or other extraordinary care.” See similar questions...

Either one of the separated parents may petition a circuit court in Maryland for custody of a child. If the parties cannot agree about who should have custody, the court will grant custody either solely to one of the parents or joint custody to both of the parents. There is a complete list of the Domestic Relations Forms available in PDF format. To view and print forms, you may be required to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Currently, states across the U.S. See similar questions...

NO! Most reports of child abuse do not result in children being removed from their families. The first goal is to enable the child to remain safely in higher own home.- If this is not possible, the social worker must remove the child from the home and place him/her in . a foster home. If it is necessary in order to protect the child, the child welfare agency also is authorized to arrange emergency, temporary foster care. See similar questions...

No. There are a variety of disorders that are related to limited speech development but any child that is not talking by the age of 3 should have a developmental assessment immediately. Most children are babbling before they reach their first birthday and use single words to communicate by 18 months. Any child that does not display these behaviors or who has and subsequently loses a communicative or social skill should be screened for an Autism Spectrum Disorder as soon as possible. See similar questions...

When a child is unsafe and in immediate danger of harm, DHS or law enforcement must work to develop a plan which will assure a child's safety. Many times a safety plan can be developed which will keep a child safe in his/her own home. When it is not possible a child may, according to statute, be taken into protective custody. If a safe relative is available, DHS or law enforcement may place the child with them. If not, a child will be placed in shelter care. See similar questions...

The reality is that there are two broad kinds of responsibilities you and your spouse or co-parent must manage with respect to your children: Thoughtful divorce professionals have understood this for many years and further viewed the "old-school" language and labels of "child custody" and "visitation" as destructive and easily subject to manipulation. The Colorado legislature recognized this years ago, in amending its divorce and parenting laws to delete all reference to these terms. See similar questions...

Courts will sometimes listen to the wishes of older children. Courts rarely take into account the wishes of very young children. Children who are 16 years or older may petition the court themselves for a change in custody. There is a complete list of the Domestic Relations Forms available in PDF format. To view and print forms, you may be required to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software. See similar questions...

Major battles are fought over custody and there is no easy answer except to say that the Court is going to determine what is in the best interest of the child. Often, people bring in witnesses to testify to their child rearing skills and to show the Court that they are the more nurturing and capable parent. See similar questions...

Although SMS is caused by a deletion of genetic material, it usually does not run in families. In most cases, the deletion occurs accidentally in a child around the time he or she is conceived, without being inherited from either parent. For this reason, we can say that SMS is clearly genetic, but not usually familial. The risk to siblings depends on the results of parental chromosome analysis. If parental chromosomes are normal, the risks to subsequent pregnancies are extremely low. See similar questions...

When the parents cannot agree on a custody arrangement, the court will make the decision for them after considering the totality of the circumstances, with the overriding consideration being the child's best interests. See similar questions...

The court will examine a vast number of factors, including who the children are living with at the time the custody determination is made, the children's historical relationship with each of the parents, and each of the parents' ability to care for the children. See similar questions...

Any evaluation should be initiated at least six months before the court date. This process should never be hastened or undergone without full intentions of completion. A full evaluation takes about four months, assuming relative distance proximity between both the parents and the evaluator. See similar questions...

If current child support is owed for a dependent child, DCSE works to direct the support to the individual or agency that has physical custody of the child. Past-due support is usually owed to the individual who had physical custody of the child when the support was initially due. See similar questions...

Parents have the right to be notified immediately if their child has been taken into protective custody. They have the right to an attorney. They have the right to be notified and to be present at all court hearings involving their child. They also have the right to visit and maintain contact with their child. See similar questions...