DR RADICA MAHASE

We often hear the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child,” but when it comes to raising children with special needs/disabilities, it takes an even bigger village, and everyone in the village has to be on the same page!

The concept of the "village" is explained very concisely by Andrea Rupert et al, as “multiple people (the 'villagers') including parents, siblings, extended family members, neighbours, teachers, professionals, community members and policymakers, care for a child. All these ‘villagers' may provide direct care to the children and/or support the parent in looking after their children.”

In the case of a child who is on the autism spectrum, or children with special needs or disabilities in general, the ideal situation would be one where parents, educators (teachers, teacher’s aide, tutors) and all therapists liaise with each other to develop and execute a plan for the child’s holistic development.

They would communicate with each other regularly to track the child’s progress. Collaboration amongst the "villagers" is very important so that there is a thorough effort by everyone involved in helping the child to achieve developmental milestones and reach his/her full potential.

Sadly, in Trinidad and Tobago this is not the norm. In many cases, the "villagers" work in their own little vacuum without communicating with each other. In many cases they may not even know that they are working with the same child. Educators are often not in touch with therapists and vice versa.

That said, it is really the responsibility of parents/caregivers to communicate with everyone involved in their children’s developmental programmes. For parents/caregivers who are unsure how to proceed, here are some factors to take into consideration:

Develop a plan for your child: Your child may spend limited time with a therapist or educator, but is with you the majority of the time. Therefore, you should know your child’s strengths and weaknesses more than anyone else.

More importantly, you should know the areas in which your child needs help and have certain goals for your child. You need to communicate all this to each professional who is working with your child.

Too often parents/caregivers withhold information, or give incorrect information to the professionals who are working with their children. When this happens, it makes the whole process so much more difficult and leaves the child at a disadvantage.

Create and encourage communication networks for professionals working with your child. Communication is very important if the village is to raise the child. As a parent/caregiver, you can let the professionals who are working with your child know about each other. Inform the educators and therapists about each other; with their permission share contact information and encourage them to communicate about your child’s development. Most therapists should do this willingly, if they have the real interest of the child.

As one speech therapist noted, “I think it’s very important for me to liais