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Struggling to support your child with autism during MCO? Here’s how you can help

Apr 02, 2020

Its hard enough for adults to cope with having to stay at home during the Movement Control Order.

Can you imagine what it must be like for a child with autism?

Image: iMoney

Many parents of children with autism are having a hard time helping their kids cope with the long hours stuck indoors.

Feilina Feisol, chairman of the National Autism Society of Malaysia informs us it doesn’t help that communication can sometimes be difficult for these kids…

“It’s very difficult for all of us at this moment, and more so with children with autism. Most of them live in their own world, and 40% of them are not able to speak or have little verbal ability. Children will face a lot of problems because they cannot communicate nor would they understand why their normal routine is not followed.”

She adds that a routine is very important for kids with autism and they may not comprehend why all this has changed with the MCO:

Image: The Star

“Many of the kids do not understand why are they at home when it’s supposed to be a school day and it’s very difficult for parents like so many others to explain to them why they have to stay at home. We try very hard to explain that the shops are closed, schools are closed, we do social stories to tell them, but so many of them just refuse to understand or cannot understand what’s happening.”

Feilina, who has an autistic child, also explained that some of these kids can throw tantrums when their routine has been disrupted …

Image: Filepic/The Star

“Parents have to deal with tantrums, meltdowns, and it’s not them being spoilt. It is them not being able to handle information that they do not understand. A meltdown for a child with autism is really severe, they would hit their heads on the walls, they would smash TVs, tablets.”

She also shared how parents can help kids with autism cope during the MCO…

“Being able to drive them out to a fast-food drive-in or to a park… even though they cannot come out from the car is just such a relief for parents, because at least we can take them out. Going to the hospital, meeting their psychologist or their therapist for therapy is a godsend, because at least the children can do something else.”

Feilina spoke to us, in conjunction with World Autism Awareness Day today.