​Doctor and Psychologist at Itireleng Residential Care Facility for the Disabled (RCFD) has applauded parents who are raising children with Special Needs and indicated that it is a challenge for many.
Dr. Monama was speaking during a recent family day hosted at Itireleng RCFD, an institution run by the Gauteng Department of Social Development, in a packed centre hall filled with parents and siblings of beneficiaries based at the centre.

She said, “It is a challenge for parents who are raising children with Special Needs because parents have always had exciting expectations for their children, and when some discover their conditions, they feel ashamed and isolate them from their community”.

Special Needs children are those who have a disability or a combination of disabilities that makes learning difficult. Special Needs children include those who have mental retardation, which causes them to develop slower than other children. Monama said, “Children with Special Needs require care, love, and understanding. We should understand and appreciate them because some of them can’t even express their emotions, but they act out due to overstimulating at times”.

Speaking in the background of the day, parent Jeannette Kgasi appreciated the occasion and said, “Family Day is important also for interaction between parents, children, and Social Workers. I’m pleased with the presentations and the advice we get from the presenters".

Another parent, Nthabiseng Molefe, said that the day also helps them to share good ideas and practices.

Parents with children with Special Needs miss out on many family-oriented activities because their children's disabilities prevent them from successfully participating. They also encounter criticism and judgment of parenting from others who don't understand their child's disability. They sometimes feel like outsiders around the parents of typically developing children. The Department will continue to provide support to the learners and their parents.