Communities Play Vital Role in Supporting Families of Children with Special Needs

BANDUNG, Jakartaweekly.com—The role of the community in supporting the growth and development of children with special needs should not be underestimated. A supportive environment can help families and children become more resilient.

Dea Novitasari, an educator at Sekolah Cikal Bandung and Coordinator of Inclusive Education at the school, said building resilience among children with special needs is not solely the responsibility of their families.

“This is a process that requires everyone to work together,” she said in Bandung recently.

She said children have a greater opportunity to grow and develop according to their potential when families, schools, and communities support one another.

Such support also means families do not have to feel that they are facing the challenges alone, which can help strengthen their resilience.

Dea said building resilience within the community can be challenging for families raising children with special needs. She noted that some families still face comments, stares, or even judgments from people who do not understand their children’s conditions.

“Such experiences can certainly leave families feeling exhausted or even lead them to withdraw from their surroundings. However, resilience does not mean families have to face everything on their own. Resilience grows when families have an environment that is willing to understand, listen, and walk alongside them,” she said.

According to Dea, families raising children with special needs begin to build resilience by accepting that every child has a different developmental journey, including their children with special needs and their siblings without special needs.

From there, she said, families can begin building communication with various parties, including schools and communities that share similar values and goals in supporting them.

Therefore, the community can support these families by avoiding judgment, being willing to listen, and giving children opportunities to participate in social activities.

Dea said the more people understand that every child learns in different ways, the easier it will be for families raising children with special needs to feel accepted.

“Sometimes simple forms of support, such as not judging, being willing to listen, or giving children opportunities to participate in their social environment, can already make a meaningful difference,” she said.

For Dea, everyone in the community has a role to play in supporting one another so that no family raising a child with special needs feels left behind, different, or excluded.