S1E76: How to help parents who have special needs children: Health Check Ep 76

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. If you’re raising a child with special needs, such as physical, cognitive, behavioural challenges, you are not alone. You deserve the time to look after yourselves and there is comfort to be found from families who have children with special needs. In this episode, Joyce Teo, a senior health correspondent with The Straits Times, speaks with Dr Lim Hong Huay, an epidemiologist and developmental paediatrician who has two children with ADHD and mild autism, about how parents of special needs children can avoid burnout. She also talks about how friends and family can help parents of special needs children and what the public should (and should not) do when they encounter a parent having a challenging episode with a special needs child. Dr Lim founded CaringSG in 2020, when many special education schools and early intervention programmes had to stop their services and families were stuck at home. That worsened the exhaustion, burnout and mental health issues that some caregivers had. Highlights (click/tap above): 02:54 How friends and family can help 10:46 How parents can avoid burnout 14:06 How the public can help 16:08 Tips for parents of special needs children CaringSG: https://caring.sg/ SG Enable: https://www.sgenable.sg/ Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Fa'izah Sani Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv  SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.