The prolonged closure of schools can have considerable repercussions on children with special needs, who see their routine disrupted and whose behavior sometimes regresses. A Montreal organization therefore decided to offer days of respite to parents several times a week to allow them to breathe, and also to help these young people.
“My son, when he is with me, he is a job full-time from morning to evening, says Michel Bernier. I can’t work, I can’t do anything else.” That morning, he came to take his teenager who has an average intellectual disability to Patro Villeray, a leisure and support center located in the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension district.
The organization charges parents $35 for a day, while the services of the specialized private agency which helps the father cost $26 per hour. At around $200 for a day, this represents a large amount on one’s finances.
“It’s very difficult,” says Hind Labadi, speaking of the effects of the strike on her child. She is accompanied by her son Rayan, who has been attending the Irénée-Lussier specialized school since this year. Without school for almost a month, he experiences “ups and downs” at home, she admits. “He lost his routine, he couldn’t wait to go to school every day,” she said. We are disturbed.” Getting out of the house and meeting other young people at the center helps, she feels.
Patro Villeray already offered “Saturday respite” on weekends by welcoming young people with autism and children living with an intellectual disability, aged 4 to 17. The center decided to offer parents days during the week during the strike, because the young people have lost their bearings and their routine, which destabilizes them, explains Catherine Rousseau, coordinator of day camps, respite and animation.
“It fills up very quickly,” she said. With being cut off from school and relationships with others, some parents notice that their child exhibits regression behaviors. Behaviors that had disappeared will resurface. So, we come to reacquire certain acquired knowledge.” And for parents, this type of day is very helpful because these are not young people “who can be left with the neighbor” in the company of four other children, for example.
Michel Bernier, who is also president of the governing board of the Irénée-Lussier specialized school, confirms that these days at the center do “a lot of good” to his boy. The school, which welcomes young people with intellectual disabilities and sometimes autism between 12 and 21 years old, focuses mainly on self-determination and the strike can lead to losses in terms of learning to be independent. For these children with special needs, “school is the only place where they socialize,” he insists. “Their only friends are schoolchildren,” he said. My son is 15 years old and at this age, it’s important not to always be with mom and dad. It is very fundamental for its balance. »
A big challenge on the way back
In the reception room, where Shakira’s music follows that of Taylor Swift, around fifteen young people walk around and play together. Raphaël, 14, lies down on a mattress with his thumb in his mouth after giving a forceful hug to the representative of the Duty. “It’s his time to rest, alone,” says Salyna Bernier, a Patro Villeray companion who studies special education and who knows the boy well. “As he has been coming here for a long time, he knows what to do, we no longer need to stay next to him. »
Jérémie, 16 years old, is sitting on the ground a little further away with other young people, a smile perpetually on his face. “It’s getting better,” he replies when asked if he misses school. The teenager loves socializing and being with others, says his father.
Once the parents have left, the group goes down to the basement to go to a sensory room covered with mattresses and dimmed lights. They quietly get ready to go to the pool and, after dinner, they will watch a movie and then go for a long walk.
Downstairs, an incident occurs: a young person bites a friend, so he goes off with a companion, while another goes to get ice cream. The event does not cause a stir and the others continue to play or rest.
A room like this takes away the stimuli, explains Salyna Bernier. “There are no loud neon lights from the rest of the building or any noise. They can sit in a corner with quiet play and relax,” she says.
A good number of parents met by The duty that day supported the teachers on strike. But it will take a lot of effort on the part of teachers to get young people back on track once the strike is over. “It’s going to be a big challenge when we return,” believes Giglio Zito, himself a teacher on an indefinite general strike, just like his wife. They can therefore be there for their boy who has Kleefstra syndrome. “But the parents, they are not all teachers, they are not all on strike,” he said. “We are not as skilled as the teachers [spécialisés de son école]so it’s sure that it’s missing a little bit, it’s going to have an impact when we return,” he adds.