Children with special needs frequently face unfriendly treatment when playing with other children, a survey of parents found last month, the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (CCF) said yesterday as it called on local governments to put more inclusive playgrounds in public parks.
The survey found that 63.4 percent of parents of special needs children aged 12 or under said their children had encountered such treatment, the foundation told a news conference in Taipei.
Of the respondents, 93.5 percent think the general public has difficulties understanding the needs of such children, and 91.8 percent think there is not enough play spaces for them, the survey found.
“More than 60 percent of the parents said they have seen unfriendly treatment, such as facial expressions, verbal exchanges and unfriendly gestures, from other people when their children are playing with others,” foundation social work section chief Chou Ta-yao (周大堯) said.
The mother of a preschooler, nicknamed A-le, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, told the news conference that when her son fell when climbing monkey bars in a park and bruised his hand and knees, a parent standing by said: “This child must have some problems not to be even able to climb these kind of bars.”
Sometimes she has to endure unfriendly looks from strangers, while A-le sometimes has to endure being laughed at by other children when playing with them, she said.
The survey found that 50.1 percent of respondents think there is not enough equipment in playgrounds that has been designed specifically for children with special needs.
Atayal singer Angel Tseng (曾宇辰), who was born with a cleft lip and palate, and other craniofacial deformities, said she remembers being stared at by strangers as a child, and other children would not play with her when she went to the park.
However, her parents raised her as normally as possible, often taking her to amusement parks and other public spaces and encouraging her, so she gained the courage and strength to face crowds and accept herself, she said.
Occupational therapist Chang Hsu-kai (張旭鎧) said all children can learn and develop their concentration levels and independence through play, usually without stress or threat, so allowing children to play with others can help them grow and also become more emotionally stable.
Inclusive playgrounds allow children with different needs to play together and can also encourage children and parents to learn empathy by trying to understand children with special needs, Chang said.
Chou said the foundation is urging local governments to put more inclusive playground in public parks, and urging parents to teach their children about equal play rights in playgrounds, so that they can learn to understand and accept children with special needs.
The foundation conducted the survey from Oct. 1 to Oct. 20 and collected 355 valid questionnaires.
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