I Respect The Special Needs
I read a very good article about the Parenting of Special Needs Children. It was interesting to see what some Parents wrote about how exhausted they are, how this has affected their lives, their habits and the rest of their Family life. A few Women wrote some comments at the bottom about their reality of being a Special Needs Parent and it can be gut wrenching too;
Quote from One Mom; This a good article right up until they started talking about ‘just’ taking time for yourself. That’s nearly impossible for most ASD parents. Not only do you need a babysitter with specialized training but YOUR OWN kids have to get used to them and feel safe. That requires money they don’t often have. Then there’s the fact that even loving family members find your kids too overwhelming to deal with much of the time. Then there’s the problem that most ASD families are scrambling to pay regular bills and pay for all the extra therapies needed just for the small chance the kids can grow up to be self sufficient and independent. There is. no. extra. money. Money goes to doctors and therapists, not piano, dance, swimming, or other fun lessons. Forget about any money for a night out or investing in your own hobby. Plus, the timing of the said therapies, schooling, etc, takes up most of every day so “JUST” taking time for yourself usually means staying up late and sacrificing more sleep.
Yeah, it was a good article up until that point.
Another Mom Quote; I cried reading all of these. I have 3 stepsons with autism. The middle boy at 16 is the most severe. When he hit puberty, he developed catatonia on top of the autism. He is non-verbal and not potty trained, and he is now having seizures. My husband does most of the work with him. We have very few nights where we sleep the whole night. The catatonia has taken over his life. Causes him to become like an animal. Shrieking, trying to escape, crawling around on his hands and knees. Smearing feces all over the walls and his bedding. We’re struggling to find a respite worker (because he can be aggressive). We have in-home ABA services weekdays for 2 hours, but we can’t take him anywhere anymore, and we can’t have people over. We’re just isolated with no end in sight. Hard to get doctors to listen and help. He needs ECT for the catatonia. It’s an endless battle dealing with him everyday and dealing with the so-called help out there. Society is not equipped to help with this epidemic of autistic children.
I'm jaw dropped by these particular stories because of the amount of dedication and commitment to Special Needs Children but the underlying issues that go along with this. Special Needs Parents are expected to do everything and they cannot. They're Human like anyone else and yet they probably don't get the Support they desperately need. I really want to learn more however, one Mother was right, our Society hasn't caught up with the changes that the Special Needs Community has and there's a limit to what Others are willing to give of themselves and their own willingness to be apart of their care too.
Quote from One Mom; This a good article right up until they started talking about ‘just’ taking time for yourself. That’s nearly impossible for most ASD parents. Not only do you need a babysitter with specialized training but YOUR OWN kids have to get used to them and feel safe. That requires money they don’t often have. Then there’s the fact that even loving family members find your kids too overwhelming to deal with much of the time. Then there’s the problem that most ASD families are scrambling to pay regular bills and pay for all the extra therapies needed just for the small chance the kids can grow up to be self sufficient and independent. There is. no. extra. money. Money goes to doctors and therapists, not piano, dance, swimming, or other fun lessons. Forget about any money for a night out or investing in your own hobby. Plus, the timing of the said therapies, schooling, etc, takes up most of every day so “JUST” taking time for yourself usually means staying up late and sacrificing more sleep.
Yeah, it was a good article up until that point.
Another Mom Quote; I cried reading all of these. I have 3 stepsons with autism. The middle boy at 16 is the most severe. When he hit puberty, he developed catatonia on top of the autism. He is non-verbal and not potty trained, and he is now having seizures. My husband does most of the work with him. We have very few nights where we sleep the whole night. The catatonia has taken over his life. Causes him to become like an animal. Shrieking, trying to escape, crawling around on his hands and knees. Smearing feces all over the walls and his bedding. We’re struggling to find a respite worker (because he can be aggressive). We have in-home ABA services weekdays for 2 hours, but we can’t take him anywhere anymore, and we can’t have people over. We’re just isolated with no end in sight. Hard to get doctors to listen and help. He needs ECT for the catatonia. It’s an endless battle dealing with him everyday and dealing with the so-called help out there. Society is not equipped to help with this epidemic of autistic children.
I'm jaw dropped by these particular stories because of the amount of dedication and commitment to Special Needs Children but the underlying issues that go along with this. Special Needs Parents are expected to do everything and they cannot. They're Human like anyone else and yet they probably don't get the Support they desperately need. I really want to learn more however, one Mother was right, our Society hasn't caught up with the changes that the Special Needs Community has and there's a limit to what Others are willing to give of themselves and their own willingness to be apart of their care too.
