By TASI BENAVENTE
Staff Writer
Parents with special needs kids is a whole dilemma for them to handle along with the pandemic going on currently. Most states in America, according to The National Survey of Children With Special Health Care Needs, have around 9.4 million kids who have special needs.
Out of those 9.4 million kids, the sickness that’s currently spreading throughout our whole country is affecting people quickly. This also affects parents with children who can get this, but what about parents with kids who have disabilities than others?
Nasina Benavente is an 11 year old and is diagnosed severely autsitic non-verbal. Her parents have taken this pandemic very seriously to ensure the cause that Nasina could be safe from Covid19.
“She doesn’t have the filter and the awareness of personal space,” Nasina’s mom says during the interview. “For instance, I just went to SaveMart with her the other day and she went up to one of the ladies and was touching her skin.”
The safety of her touching others without knowing the right thing is very scary to where she could get the virus from others. Not only that, this is unsafe for others she touches to where she can spread it more. The importance of keeping her away from others is the safe way until it’s over, but they can’t know how she really feels about this since she’s not able to talk about what she feels about it.
The hardship that parents go through to protect their children from the virus is hard, but kids who don’t process the thought of this with little awareness is dangerous. Most kids with disabilities can possibly feel alone and have no consciousness of the danger of the virus is hurtful not only to the kids, but to others around them.