I have been working in the disability space for children, adults and the elderly for two decades. With each person I work with, I find myself being more aware of the challenges that parents and caregivers grapple with daily and agree with Ms Jill Lim (Learn empathy by feeling what it is like to be different, March 18).
I recently watched Falling by Pangdemonium, which depicts the challenges and struggles of a family caring for Josh, a youth with moderate-severe autism.
Many among the audience teared up and felt the anguish, as they watched Josh hurt himself and rain blows on his mum in his meltdowns.
My heart ached as I watched the realistic enactment of some incidents that, up till then, I had only heard about from the parents of special needs youth, who are bigger and have more frequent emotional upheavals that come with puberty.
Some in the audience asked the parents of two autistic teenagers at the post-play panel discussion what the public can do to support them and what their best hopes are.
I wonder if it is also timely to do more to raise awareness and facilitate our children’s learning of empathy towards their peers with various forms of disabilities.
Our children in pre- or primary schools may become the next generation of policymakers to push for a more compassionate and inclusive society.
I have been observing what happens in our mainstream schools, in my capacity as a parent volunteer at my children’s schools. Many students who have mild autism, dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are schooled alongside neurotypical children.
In a recent play session I volunteered at, some parent volunteers labelled a child with mild autism as “disruptive”, “naughty” and “noisy” when he was throwing some building blocks around while looking for his favourite coloured blocks and, possibly, reacting to the noise triggers around him.
After I explained that some of his “misbehaviours” may be a reaction to playtime noise and commotion, these parent volunteers started to be more patient and empathetic towards the child.
We need to also make children at a young age aware of the different ways that children with various conditions may look and behave.
With awareness comes empathy that will then drive us to join in the collective chain of compassion or change-making.
Lim Hwee San
