According to the World Health Organization (WHO), children with disability could be defined as ‘any child unable to ensure by himself wholly or partly, the necessities of a normal individual and or social life, as a result of a deficiency either congenital or not, in his physical or mental capabilities’1 .
It has been estimated that among the 10% of the population with disability, one third are among children less than 15 years old. Translating this figure into the Malaysian population of 33 million, there are about 1,100,000 children less than 15 years old with some form of disability that requires special care.
Among the special needs children, 80% are suffering from Autism and it is estimated that one out of every 600 children is born with autism. Most of them have an intellectual disability, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Autism, ASD, Asperger), Learning Disability (e.g. Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, hearing impairment, visual impairment) and/or visual disorders (squint, amblyopia, refractive error)
A child with disabilities represents a heavy psychological, physical, social and economic burden for a family. Parenting a child with disabilities goes beyond ‘ordinary’ parenting, and the parents
must cope with many changing demands related to their child’s specific needs.
Cost of Raising Disable Child is very expensive and burdensome for parents. These cost fall in the range of RM 25,763 to RM 37,905 a year. With the inflation 5%pa., the cost is estimated at ~RM400,000 in ten years, and inflated to ~RM1,000,000 in twenty years.
