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UAE: Accept your child for who they are, expert tells parents of special needs children

Simon Lamb encouraged parents to let their children be free so they can try out new experiences

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An international expert has urged parents of special needs children to accept them for who they are and not be overprotective of them.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the World Early Childhood Development (WED) Forum, which concluded on Wednesday, Simon Lamb, founder of Purposeful Change, encouraged parents to let their children be free so they can try out new experiences.

"Step into their shoes and learn to see the world from their eyes," Lamb said. "Help them to be able to express back into our world what they need to have."

The British national, who raised two autistic children, said he learnt from his personal experiences that letting his children be free helped them develop in ways he could've never imagined.

However, some parents of children of determination might fear that their children won't be accepted into society, Lamb noted.

"But if you operate from that fear, then you spend your entire life protecting them," he said. "The challenge is if you operate from your fear, sometimes you are not allowing them the experiences that might unlock something for them."

Lamb also pointed out that there is a myth surrounding trust within society, which is the idea that trust takes many years to build. But, he said, that's not always the case.

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"Sometimes people can easily connect and build trust if they interact and discuss fundamental things in life and issues around them," he said.

As a final word of advice, Lamb urged parents to question the rules they set for their children and determine whether it's actually helping them.

"When you are acting to look after your child, you need to question on whether your action comes from the history of what your parents told you. And if that’s true, consider if it's helping in this situation," he said.

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