Parents of autistic kids need support too as more cases may be expected
A 2012 study found almost 60 per cent of parents with autistic kids suffer from varying levels of depression
The number of children with autism reported in public schools is expected to grow by a third to more than 10,000 next year, up from 7,200 last year, according to statistics from the Education Bureau, and experts are calling for more government support for parents of autistic kids.
The figure also does not include data from private schools.
According to concern groups, current support has only been geared towards patients, and waiting time for government-subsidised rehabilitation services, including those for pre-schoolers, is too long.
“There is a large demand for support services, and families often face immense pressure, but there aren’t many services dedicated to the needs of parents,” Sandra Tsang Kit-man, an associate professor from the University of Hong Kong’s department of social work and social administration, said in an interview on Commercial Radio on Sunday morning.
Support of autistic patients should be continuous and family-centred
While there were 7,200 school children diagnosed with autism in 2015-2016, Tsang expected the figure would exceed 10,000 in 2017-2018.