There are four types of special needs children – developmental, behavioural or emotional, physical and sensory impaired.
For the record, those with Down’s syndrome, autism, dyslexia, and processing disorders, come under the developmental class.
Children suffering from attention deficit disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar and oppositional defiance disorder fall under the behavioural, or emotional category.
Those who have muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, chronic asthma and epilepsy among others, are categorised under physical, while sensory impaired means those who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or have limited hearing.
While some can be ‘fixed’ easier than others, the most important criteria is early detection.
Sadly, many parents are reluctant to test their children for fear of the stigma of having a special needs child.
“There are some parents who can’t accept the fact that their children have special needs. Some believe the children can get better on their own or are merely slow learners,” said M. Khanna Muren, who works with special needs children.
“You should not be ashamed if your children are not considered ‘normal’ by conventional standards.
“Many children with special needs are exceptionally talented and intelligent. They just express it differently.
“The key is understanding them. My advice to parents is to test your children early as it would help them lead a more normal or functional life.”
Khanna, who was a pilot for 20 years before losing his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is now a certified Halliwick Instructor, an autism exercise instructor with certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. He also has a diploma in learning disorders management and child psychology from the College of Allied Educators Malaysia.
In addition, he is also a certified personal trainer and nutritionist.
All of which he puts to good use at Amirs Therapy Gym where he is the ‘FunXRcise’ squad leader, working with special needs children of various ages.
FunXRcise or ‘fun experiencing relationship with exercise’ is a fitness programme designed for teenagers and adults with autism.
“During the course of my work, I realised how much easier it is to change the behaviour of the younger children,” said Khanna.
“Parents sometimes leave it until it’s too late and only ask for help when their children are older, or too big for them to handle by themselves.
“While they can still be helped, it takes a longer time and the results would be slower.”
Khanna recently received a piece of good news from one of the families he has been working with.
The son would never go anywhere without wearing two watches and he couldn’t handle it if the parents took a different route when travelling.
“My job is to help these children function when they go out in the real world, away from their parents. Society won’t be so accommodating to their needs as not many would understand their situation,” he said.
“The child I was helping recently made a breakthrough. He left his home with only one watch.
“It may not seem like much to some, but it is a giant step forward for him. Moments like this make me love my job even more.
“So parents, for the sake of your children’s future, if you suspect they have special needs, act quickly.”
