Change system to help special needs kids

IT’S been seven months since we voted in a new government. One thing that parents have been pushing for in this fresh start is change – in education, in health, in childcare.

One of the most important changes we need is in how we deal with special kids. Given early intervention, these children can achieve the necessary skills to be completely independent.

However, parents raising kids on the autism spectrum find it difficult to cope with the expenses of raising a special child. While government hospitals do provide free therapy sessions for these children, due to the many children in need, some only get one or two sessions a month. This just does not cut it.

Parents have to seek other ways to help their children, including sending them to private schools or hiring tutors or learning how to conduct sessions at home.

Some parents pay up to RM1,500 for the first three months just for therapy alone. This could be a huge burden for the family. Some parents opt out because of this.

Also due to cost factors and a lack of regulation, some children could end up being sent to centres run by unqualified people.

We need to change our current system to make sure all these children are part of an early intervention programme and get a proper education.

We need a regulatory body to monitor the situation in Malaysia. Development centres need to be built in each hospital.

Other countries are pushing to take special needs students out of isolation and into general education classrooms; to do this, we must make sure all teachers are trained to deal dealing with special needs children.

We can learn from neighbouring countries like Australia, where they provide Early Days Workshops, a series of free workshops for parents, grandparents and families of young children (newborn to six years) who have autism spectrum disorder or are going through assessment and diagnostic processes under the Helping Children with Autism package initiated by the Australian government.

All children have within them the potential to be great kids. It’s our job to make sure we create a world where this potential can flourish. And no child should be left behind. DR NIMELESH BALANTHIREN Subang Jaya, Selangor