Autistic boy's death underscores families' struggle to raise children with special needs
The suspected murder of a 15-year-old autistic boy by his father has highlighted the problems of families struggling to raise children with special needs and the lack of government support for them, a parents' rights group said.
The suspected murder of a 15-year-old autistic boy by his father has highlighted the problems of families struggling to raise children with special needs and the lack of government support for them, a parents' rights group said yesterday.
The family tragedy, which also left the 59-year-old father in a serious condition in hospital after apparently attempting suicide, unfolded in Yuen Long on Friday night.
Police said the father and son were fighting at their village house in Wang Chau Tung, Tau Wai San Tsuen, late on Friday, prompting worried neighbours to call in police. Officers arrived to find the boy with multiple knife wounds to his mouth, neck and chest. He was rushed to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long, where he was later certified dead.
The father was arrested, with no charges filed as of last night.
The case sheds light on the plight of such families, said Pinkey Tai Ngan-yung, chairman of the Special Educational Needs and Parents Association.
"Parents who raise a child with special needs suffer from immense pressure which is unimaginable to outsiders," said Tai, whose son has special educational needs.
"It is heartbreaking to see families breaking down under pressure which could have been prevented if the government gave them enough support."
She said families suffer a financial as well as psychological burden. Support in the public education system is limited, and private tuition could cost up to HK$770 per hour, she added.
A spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said the family had not been under its care before the incident, but had since been contacted and offered counselling and other support.
The boy, who lived with his parents and an older brother, was autistic and was attending a special school, said Superintendent Ngai Chi-shung, assistant police commander for Yuen Long district. He said a fruit knife and a meat knife had been seized from the scene.
A police source said the father was being treated at Tuen Mun Hospital for a knife wound, inflicted in an apparent suicide attempt. The father and son had often fought, with the boy's condition at the centre of disputes, the source added.
