SUPPORT AND PDK IIUM MAKE THEIR DEBUT AT GFF4.0

By, Hadif Zahren and Alif Azli

Many people form a community, to gain a sense of belonging. Truthfully, there are diverse people in communities that include families with special needs children.

A person would feel like the world has turned upside-down after realizing the words, “special needs” is applied to his or her child. Out of the blue, everything changes, the routines, the intensity of care, the fatigue, the loneliness, all became mountains to climb. However, after the passing of time, those who are actively trying to navigate these uncharted waters often find that these special needs children have taught them more about patience, humility and love than any other parenting book ever could.

Chairperson of Support Association for Parents of Special Needs Children (SUPPORT), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida Mokhtar highlighted in an exclusive interview, “There are IIUM staff who have children with special needs that need support from each other as well as from IIUM.” This sparked the establishment of SUPPORT in 2023. Both parents and special needs children face challenges in their daily lives as parents need empathy from everyone as it is unfortunate that there are dismissive people that lack empathy in this world. Rejecting and refusing to give extra care or concern towards these families with special needs children is unfair and unjust, stated Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida, “We go through a lot as parents who raise our children with special needs. Some children are nonverbal while others cannot walk and care for themselves. We are worried that our special needs children would be rejected by schools, colleges, and universities as well as the workplace. We will worry about them till we die. We are always worried. The question – who will take care of them after we leave this world is often something we ask ourselves.”

This clearly defines what parents of these special needs children are challenged with. They carry a lot on their shoulders other than just caring for the children in the present. Parents have already been thinking about the realistic and foreseeable future about their children’s fate.

IIUMToday reported on 10 September 2023, at the first Annual Grand Meeting (AGM) of SUPPORT or Persatuan Sokongan Ibu Bapa Anak-Anak Istimewa. The article highlighted the importance of IIUM in acknowledging and assisting the university’s staff who are parents with special needs children.
SUPPORT has been speaking to IIUM asking for accommodation for parents and their special needs children while at the same time seeking inclusion from other stakeholders.

IIUMToday reported that the new lineup of committees for 2026 to 2028 had been announced which consists of IIUM’s academicians and administrators who will be more focused on promoting caregiver inclusion by building bridges with stakeholders. There have been various activities already been done to inculcate inclusivity and provide services and opportunities for special needs children such as swimming therapies and requesting placements in the Community Based Rehabilitation Centre at IIUM (PDK IIUM) for IIUM staff.

With adequate and productive guidance from many, these parents and the special needs children could be acknowledged and understood better. As proven across 23 studies mentioned by the online platform, Life of a Spectrum, children with autism using visual schedules were significantly more independent and required less adult intervention. We can conclude that special needs children have similar chances as any other child, some need proper guidance before they can be more independent.

SUPPORT and PDK IIUM are opening a booth at the Gombak Food Festival 4.0 from 5-6 May 2026. They will be selling Satay Kajang Hj. Samuri, books, t-shirts, bangles and membership. More information can be obtained from its official social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.***