Tragic Realities: Challenges in Caring for Special Children

Overview

Raising a special child is by no means an easy task. Most often when we talk about special children with any disability, the parents or the caregivers are overlooked. It can be challenging to care for special children for several reasons including financial burdens, lack of time for self-care, stress because of childcare duties, Stigmatization, and limited exposure to education and healthcare.

All these reasons may contribute to several mental health issues such as parental guilt and anxiety, depression, elevated levels of psychological distress, and common mental disorders. These factors in the long run can disrupt the relationship between the child and caregiver, and affect the caregiver’s social life and future expectations.

The tragic incident

Recently a dreadful incident was reported where a mother allegedly killed her autistic daughter by strangling her. Reportedly a 35-year-old woman in Bengaluru allegedly killed her three-and-a-half-year daughter by strangulation. The woman was a mother of two twin girls, both were autistic. However, one of them is mildly autistic and is admitted to a pre-school whereas the other one had severe symptoms of autism.

In the afternoon around 12:30 PM, the woman strangulated her daughter in a fit of rage and took her to the hospital when the child had stopped moving. However, she was declared dead in the hospital. After the killing, the woman surrendered herself to the police at the Subramanya Nagar police station in Bengaluru.

During the police interrogation, the woman claimed to be experiencing severe depression for the past few months and admitted to killing her daughter out of frustration. She also expressed her concern about her daughter’s future and well-being because of her condition. As a result, she decided to end her daughter’s life.

According to the sources, the woman was living in an apartment complex with her two daughters and worked in a private company which she had to quit to take care of her kids. The woman’s husband is a software engineer who works in Norway.

Further investigation is currently ongoing, and the police arrested the lady and booked her for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

The Study

In recent times, a study conducted by AIMS revealed the challenges faced by the caregivers and parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). AIMS doctors disclosed the study findings not long ago during Autism Awareness Month. The study found that around 76.8 % of mothers experienced clinical depression. It also showcased that the mothers of children who had severe symptoms of autism had high levels of depressive impact and mental health issues compared to the mild and moderate ones.

Conclusion

It is important to provide support to parents and caregivers dealing with special children or autistic children. Parent’s mental health issues must be managed and they should be offered respite care for a much-needed break. According to the experts, early detection and diagnosis of at-risk children may significantly help manage the symptoms which will improve the quality of life of the child as well as the caregiver. Moreover, the key is to approach these situations with utmost empathy because “Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being’s suffering. Nothing. Not a career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. We have to feel for one another if we’re going to survive with dignity” _ Audrey Hepburn

Source: Inputs from various media Sources