Accepting the REALITY is the foremost move to combat Disability

Aditi Panda

What is the real difficulty with my child? Is my child not normal? What will people say? Why my child? What will happen to my job? Who will look after my child when I am not at home? This is the  customary effect on every parent or family when they hear that “your child seems to have some problem, you should seek advice from a doctor”.

Every parent reacts likewise, when they stumble on the first indication of a Little Different condition of their child. It’s as straightforward as my child is a Little Different from others, a person with diverse needs as other children but it takes a very long time to come to terms to that.

This reality, though hard to digest  has to be accepted first by parents and  half the battle is won for the reason that accepting this truth is not an easy task but very crucial as the future of the child depends on how early the parents accept the reality.

Every parent nurtures a secret desire that their children will fulfil their dreams and want their child to be the best on every front, flaunting them as their coveted trophy. Consequently when this balloon of happiness is burst, they feel cheated and therefore they cannot accept this unforeseen turn of events that their child has a disability and is not like other children.

After the first shock subsides the parents and immediate family enter the rejection mode and start assuming that they are overreacting and imagining things.

Some parents persuade the child to do things which the child is unable to, not because they want the child to complete that task but to pacify their heart that the child is absolutely normal.

“We kept on forcing Ayush to pick up things with his left hand. But he used his right hand instead, so we tied his right hand and he started crying. Then we realised that his left hand was weak and after consulting a specialist we realised that it was a neurological problem”, confided a tensed but confident mother, Geetika Sarangi, mother of 3 year old Ayush who has a neurological disorder and will need therapy and medical intervention.

The doctor clearly told us that we should have started Ayush’s treatment a little early to be expecting enhanced results added the mother.

So dear Parents, don’t waste your precious time in self pity or wallowing because that will not change your situation. The trouble will get worse and it will be a big set-back for the development of your child. You need to understand that it’s not the end of the world and there is a solution to every question if you choose to unearth an answer.

Instead of thinking what will people say, it will be more useful if you think innovatively and spend that time to design a favourable environment to bring a smile on your child’s face!

As Latika Behera shared,”Surbhi did not respond to any noise till she was 9 months, nor she gurgled. That was when we rushed to our paediatric who referred us to the specialist. Surbhi has a hearing and speaking impairment but timely intervention has helped her to become independent enough to attend school.”

It’s easier said than done but do we parents have a choice? Can we run away from this situation? So what do we do; first accept the difference and decide how best we can tackle this condition and help our child to have a normal happy life which she/he has the right to live.

(Aditi is a freelance writer and pursues interest in the area of social issues)