Recently, a video went viral where a mother filled with agony, recounted in a public meeting her some of the tribulations she has to contend with on a daily to raise her child who was born autistic.

According to the diagnostic and statistical manual, autism is a childhood disorder classified by impairments in social cognition and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.

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Speaking in between sobs, the mother shared an experience when once she had to take her autistic child to hospital after he ingested lotion. On getting to the hospital, medical personnel took issue with the mother, accusing her of neglecting her parental duties to the effect that a seemingly old child could do such a thing as ingesting lotion. It would only be acceptable if such had been done by a toddler, the medic charged.

For obvious reasons, the mother could not tell the medic that her child had a condition and just kept the pain to herself as the latter ranted on until she went back home and told her husband that due to the experience she had encountered, she will not take their child back to hospital without the company of her husband.

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Such experiences are a common occurrence where society is quick to judge. However, little attention is given to the mental state of such parents have to contend with. Many opt to hide their children at home, which of course only worsens the condition of the affected child.

Incidents like these also remind us of the long way we still have when it comes to creating a better environment for children born with autism, despite efforts to improve the care for such children, including establishing dedicated schools for them. At best, some schools have even gone a long way to create specialized facilities with the precincts mainstream academic institutions to cater for autistic children.

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It is therefore important that we have a holistic approach in helping children with autism including targeted support towards their parents and their siblings and the community at large to offer the needed support to these children with special needs.