Salalah: Among various problems being faced due to the COVID-19, the plight of the parents of special children needs to be understood. Both the children and their parents need support from society, as their requirements are different from normal children and it takes time for them to adapt to the new trend of online classes.
A parent of a special child, who preferred not to be named, admitted that she tried to set a room for a virtual class for her son who is suffering from autism. “It is not easy to make him sit and focus. He misses his classmates and wants to go out for some activity or the other.”
She admitted that the course was outsourced. In the beginning, there were some hassles but gradually he started liking interaction with the trainers who suggested some equipment and make him learn how to set his own study table.
“There are some games and exercises, which really helped and the setting looks better now. If you don’t engage your special child in some activity he tends to become lethargic and not interested in doing anything,” she said.
She, however, emphasised that the virtual classroom may be a good idea for the normal kids but not for the special ones.
“The one-to-one setting is the best for them. They have a routine to follow. Getting up early and preparing for the school make them disciplined. So, I prefer normal schools, which are meant for special children.”
Naif Ahmed Said al Shanfari, Chairman of Dhofar branch of the Omani Special Olympics Committee, admitted the issue and said this was forced upon everyone. “We do not have any choice but to cope up with the situation.”
“I call upon the parents of the special children to keep their wards engaged in some activities and manage a regime of exercise daily. In a normal situation, we organise activities, but any activity that requires gathering is not possible now...Continuity is a must for them to cope up,” he said.
A special child’s father advised other such parents to be in touch with reality and give them quality time. “I got to know that my child has autistic disorder a year-and-a-half after his birth. It was hard to believe that your child, who was developing normally, is suddenly regressing. Like every parent, we were also in denial initially. Very soon, I and my wife came to terms and did research. We came to know about some association and it is helping.”
“Now that is closed due to the pandemic, but we try to keep him engaged in some home activity or the other,” he said.
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