I have a daughter who was born with a disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy. Myotonic Dystrophy Is a disease that affects the muscles and other body systems. It is characterized by progressive muscle loss and weakness. The severity of this disease can vary among affected people, even if they are in the same family. There are 2 types of Myotonic Dystrophy. People who have Myotonic Dystrophy II seems to be milder than those with type I. My daughter is type II and has symptoms that were present since birth and includes weakness of some muscles and mild developmental delays as well as a learning disability. However, despite this, she can take care of herself in general with little assistance. Early on, children with disabilities start to notice that others can do tasks more easily that are difficult for them, and that makes them feel bad about themselves. Emotionally, these children are very fragile and personalize things that have nothing to do with them. The children affected by this disease feel better about themselves when they understand that doing things differently, learning differently & being different is ok. It is hard to be a parent and even more challenging to be a parent of a child with special needs. That is when you need to be the analyst, problem solver, lawyer, psychiatrist, organizer, advocate & disciplinarian all at the same time.
With all of these life experiences, my family had to take different precautions to ensure the visit went smoothly. I completely understand when AIPM get service calls with specific requests. I am proud to say that AIPM has always been happy to help and they are very accommodating for homeowners that have special needs children. I have a lot of resources that are in place that help her with basic living skills such as cleaning, going shopping, cooking and other basic needs. Professionals need to realize and appreciate the heavy loads carried by the parent of a special need child.
Fear is a normal part of any child’s development. Kids can develop a fear following an experience, like a scary bug landing on them, or can develop them from their creative imagination. Things like dogs, storms, masks, the dark are all common fears. It makes sense since these things are unpredictable. Certain fears are normal but taking that fear to the extreme is not. For example, my daughter refused to go into her bedroom because there was once a spider in there. If a fly gets into the house, she will scream and freak out when she hears it buzzing and lock herself in another room until the fly is gone. She has had nightmares of bugs all around her and wakes up screaming. When considering getting a pest control specialist to come to my home as a preventative for bugs, it was very important they understood the unique challenges that come with special needs occupants. Having preventative control has instilled some sense of security in her mind as well as mine.
My work here with AIPM has shown me first hand that we have technicians that are capable in the dealing with people who have special needs and can send a supervisor or manager if you feel that is needed. With their patience and understanding that there are people out there who need this individualized type of service, Animal and Insect Pest Management can get the job done and give the caregiver and the person with special needs the tools necessary to make it a more pleasurable experience.
My daughter is now almost 30 years old and I am happy to say that she has a mild case of this and despite her learning disability, she has succeeded in finishing college and gaining a Certificate in Childhood Development to work with small children with and/or without disabilities. She has always done well with taking care of small children and loves to babysit for them.
Submit a Comment