An important message for parents of children with developmental disabilities who have encountered unprecedented disaster

Some people say that children with developmental disabilities are not good at adapting to environmental changes. Indeed, disasters dramatically change our surroundings. During disasters, what we think of as “unchangeable” actually changes, and events that should never have happened do in fact happen. Children with developmental disabilities often have to face major changes, and sometimes, catastrophic situations. For this reason, it is crucial for parents to believe that their children with developmental disabilities are capable of maintaining themselves during catastrophic situations. Parents must understand that environmental changes and disasters are not necessarily a burden on the children. Although the children probably view the present situation as “not common,” they readily accept the situation as something that must be endured. Mega earthquakes and tsunamis have destroyed lives, land, and infrastructure. As a result, we have had to adjust our lifestyles, both the physical conditions and the human environment. Instead of refusing to accept the death of family members, for example, we can adopt new, yet temporary, physical conditions, though these are far from what we consider “normal” conditions. If children – even those with disabilities – have the ability to go to kindergarten or school by themselves, they will gradually adapt to a newly constructed human environment.