D. Wajeha Al Baharna
Amina was extremely happy when she gave birth to her twins, Latifa and Rashid, who filled the house with warmth and vitality. As the years passed, a hidden wish remained in her mind: that God would bless her with a third child. I waited a long time, twelve whole years, until the wish came true… Khaled came, and their joy over him was great.
After two years, the mother began to notice that Khaled was not responding to her, did not look into her eyes, and tended to isolate herself. She was disturbed and felt anxious, so she made an appointment with the doctor to find out the reason. When the examination was over, she received the news that shook her: Khaled was diagnosed with autism. Her tears flowed throughout the night, and dark thoughts flooded her: This means that Khaled will not be a normal child, and he will not be able to enter school, play with his peers, and will not escape their bullying because they see him as different from them… Then her thoughts jumped to the future: When Khaled grows up, he will not be able to marry a wife and start a family… And who will be the wife who will accept him? Thus, her negative thoughts were accelerating without stopping. Soon, sadness and silence spread throughout the house. The mother entered a cycle of depression, and their warm home was no longer full of vitality as it had been before, when they gathered at the table and exchanged their news and funny situations with teachers and friends. In that decisive moment, the role of family bonding appeared. The father met with Latifa and Rashid, and they began to think about how to help Khaled and pull their mother out of the cycle of sadness. They made a plan to divide the tasks between them:
The father contacted the specialists, and they explained to him in detail what autism disorder is, and how to deal with Khaled and help him.
– Rashid engaged in research through electronic resources, exploring new ways to interact constructively with Khaled.
– Latifa devoted her effort to being a supportive companion to Khaled, teaching him, manipulating him, and sharing with him the details of his day.
These concerted steps paid off and gradually led to a noticeable improvement in the child’s interaction:
Khaled began to smile more, utter some words, and began to respond to the surroundings around him.
As for the mother, she saw life again from a new angle. She realized that her love for him was not conditional on his being a “normal child,” and that God’s blessing upon her was not in the fulfillment of wishes, but in the strength of the family when it came together. Thus, the result was greater than recovery: the family regained its energy, and cohesion became the effective treatment. “Family cohesion is not just a moral value, but rather represents an effective therapeutic and psychological mechanism that helps the family move from the stage of crisis to the stage of reorganization and balance.”
Supporting studies: Here are some studies that confirm that “family cohesion acts as a preventive and therapeutic factor” for families facing challenges:
Studies have shown that internal support and family solidarity contribute to reducing levels of anxiety and depression, and enhance family resilience in the face of crises.
The literature indicates that the appearance of a disability or developmental disorder in one of the children causes an imbalance in the emotional structure of the family, accompanied by feelings of sadness, frustration, and fear of the future.
A number of researchers have confirmed that positive coping strategies – primarily family cooperation – ensure reducing the effects of crises and rebuilding the psychological and social stability of the family.
* Bahrain Women’s Society for Human Development
