Accepting your child is something every parent of differently abled child must build. It is challenging and there are never ending questions about whether your child will progress to be normal. It is something every parent fears and has great expectations. But expectations cannot always be achieved. Try to find your child’s strengths and try to aim progress in that direction. For instance, if your child speaks few words make it like 10 words expectation with meaning, then communication with those words. If your child hasn’t started communication, look out for him/her paying a little attention to you or smiling back to you. Those are huge progresses. I kid you not.
Acceptance, truly, goes beyond acknowledging that your child is different – it lies in not allowing that difference affect relationships, participation, inclusion or produce barriers. It is about bringing about a change in the attitudes of families and societies in the way they respond. Acceptance means creating environments where children with autism are not only acknowledged, but also included and supported. Acceptance can play a great role in the child’s life, regardless of the type or severity of a disability. Parents wish that their children were born normal and it can be frustrating for them on providing them the best possible treatment.
Growth is something every parent needs in a child. Acceptance comes first, before embarking on a journey of growth. Acceptance within the family can gradually influence relatives, societies, countries, and the entire world. There will be a greater impact on his/her communication and emotional well – being if they feel seen and accepted.
Can your child comprehend acceptance?
Yes, they do. They pick up on the tone of your voice, facial expressions, body language, reactions to their efforts, do people attend to them, look at them. They see all of this. Even if a child has limited or no spoken language, they can feel whether they are valued, heard or accepted. The social and emotional growth of the child is significantly influenced by the relationship between the parent and the child. Parental acceptance-rejection behavior could play a crucial role in shaping the nature of the emotional connection between a parent and a child. (Bhattacharjee and Goon, 2023).
Ways to accept and support your child
- Listen and try to understand your child
Listening for gestures, sounds, expressions, and behaviours. When you slow down and truly try to understand what your child is communicating, you send a powerful message that your child matters.
Your child are not a burden. They are valuable members of society who inspire and encourage other children with autism and other special children in many different ways. It’s time we recognise the impact, color and meaning they bring to the world and to our lives.
- Talk to Your Child—Even If They Don’t Respond as Expected
A special child needs to be connected with people. They need the attention you give to them. Talking helps them understand the purpose of language and also that communication is meaningful, that interaction is enjoyable. When you show that their responses are acceptable and valid, you encourage them to communicate more.
- Celebrate Small Wins and Show Appreciation
- Notice the small improvements they celebrate them. Small changes leads to big improvements and appreciating them helps children understand that you as a parent approves of that behavior which develops consistency. This helps your child feel seen and valued.
- When progress becomes invaluable and is not observed and appreciated well – enough like how parents expect them to, children feel frustrated or discouraged because they know they are unable to meet what is expected of them. Recognizing even the smallest progress makes a big difference in their emotional and communication development.
- Build awareness
Awareness on people with disability can be moulded on the society from a young age. They can be taught about the value of recognizing people with disabilities and fostering equality. Treating them like a normal person is something they would love which makes them not be alienated. Where there is awareness, acceptance naturally occurs and it replaces beliefs and myths.
- Inclusion
Integrating children into normal schools and helping them participate in activities within the family and also the society is one way of showing inclusion. It is also helping them feel that they belong. When families and communities break barriers and teach children to respect differences, they thrive with the support of family and environment.
In Conclusion
Where Acceptance starts, growth is built. Looking at your child beyond differences and comparisons and instead looking at their strengths is something that we should cultivate. So, parents and communities can help break these barriers and advocate for acceptance in your words, actions and across multiple settings. Sparkles, kakkanad aims to guide you and your family in every possible way.
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Visit us at: Mavelipuram, Kakkanad
Website: www.sparkleschool.in
Call: +91 9633201301
You are not alone in this journey. Let’s work together to discover their spark
Your acceptance today becomes your child’s confidence tomorrow