The Blemished in the Bowl of Cherries:

The Reality behind Filipino ‘s Parents and their Child with Special Needs

As we approach the new millennium, the only assurance is change and lots of it. With the world
finally progressing towards a compromise for a socially inclusive society, we must also bear in mind that
despite all, life is still isn't exactly like a bowl of cherries it appears to be. In fact, in a metaphorical sense,
how we perceive people is almost similar when we pick cherries; we only choose what seemed to be
striking, leaving out the blemished ones. This reality is reflected to the parents with child with special
needs. With odds usually stacked against them, child with special needs can be correlated to a blemished
cherry as they are often overlooked, paying no mind to the circumstances that they possibly have gone
through. Moreover, actual cherries are also something that can’t be easily afforded, an actuality that a
parent with children with exceptionalities might have possibilities to not enjoy. This is because among
others, they carry more weight on their shoulders as they feel more responsible for their children's
development and success.

Given that this issue has broadly impacted the quality of life of parents of Filipino children with
special needs, certain risks and indicators are acknowledged. Parents of typically developing students
and learners with special needs have both a burden to carry. In general, both parents' roles are alike;
however, parents of children with specific needs often hold the stick's shorter end. Unlike to a
non-disabled child, children with cognitive and medical challenges necessitate more aid and assistance.
These difficulties might also become too unbearable when prolonged. With the additional demands
associated with raising a child with distinct socio-emotional and behavioral needs, what happens is that
their parents become more susceptible to physical and mental stressors enough to affect the parent's
overall well-being. The job becomes even more challenging when it extends on as some developmental
challenges are observed to be irrevocable, a fact that a parent with special needs can easily guilt over.
Their limitations to give their child success can be viewed as a causative factor of anxieties and financial
burdens as effected by the extra medical help and services a child with a disability requires. Although
specific adapting approaches to parenting children with special needs are heavily stressed and
maintained, there are still cases where these methodologies fall through, resulting in potential strains
within families that raise a child with unique disabilities. This situation is most especially prevalent in the
Philippines. Compared to other countries that are well equipped to pull off a comprehensive action plan
directed towards the parents of children with concrete needs, our country, despite all the advancements,
still demands an additional catching up to establish one. The lack of collective awareness about the topic
has then established several illogical generalizations and stereotypes, creating an impact on both parent
and child who need special care. Based on these facts, we can say that a large element that induced
stigmatization concerning the matter is caused by the inaccessible avenue to shed light on this context.

In light of the issue finally being recognized, we must examine the impacts of being a parent of a
child with disability. With parents becoming more deprived of certain things in exchange for their child's
welfare, parent peer support programs should be strongly developed and implemented. Nurturing
children in a positive environment conducive to learning is also significant in raising a child with
diagnosed special needs. For what it is worth, having a child with a disability is not any different from
having one without. It just so happens that they are born with more needs and as a community, we have
a shared responsibility to make the child feel welcomed in a place they belong.