Malaysia’s plan to expand early intervention programmes for children with special needs is welcomed, but it should also include families and caregivers who carry invisible burdens.
The Principal of Taarana School, Dr Sunitha Sivakumaran, expands on this premise in an op-ed published this month in a leading Malaysian English daily, thestar.com.my.
In the article titled ‘The Unseen Weight on Special Needs Parents and Why it Matters,’ Dr Sunitha observed that parents often cut work hours, drained savings, and faced “time poverty” to keep therapy schedules on track.
She called for caregiver wellbeing to be treated like national infrastructure, with subsidies for training and counselling, workplace flexibility, respite care and stronger community networks, contending that children can only flourish when the adults who support them are able to.
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