Mom struggles to care for autistic son

"Mi depressed," says Sashane Blake, buckling under the weight of many sleepless nights.

As Autism Awareness Month begins today, her story is a desperate cry of a mother fighting a lonely battle in a country still waking up to the condition. Blake's three-year-old son, Kishane Walker, was recently diagnosed with mild autism and speech delay. She also has a seven-year-old to care for. Her days are long, heavy, and full of questions no one seems willing or able to answer.

"I feel very frustrated cause there is not much help for children like that," she told THE STAR. "So I'm wondering what am I going to do and what's the next move?"

In the hills of St Ann, Blake tries to keep her household afloat. She raises poultry in the yard for income, but it's not enough. Her younger son needs her full-time care and the isolation is crushing. Blake noted that at the one-year mark, her son seemed to be developing normally. But after bringing him to the St Ann's Bay Regional Hospital, her reality shifted.

"I joined the paediatric clinic there and when I brought him there, they were screening him and the paediatrician tell mi say him have symptoms of autism. His diagnosis is mild autism, he has speech delay as well," he said. She described some of the early signs that concerned her.

"He claps out of nowhere, you will see him clapping and jumping and all a that. Him pack things in order. They say those are the symptoms of an autistic child." Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder can vary widely, but often include challenges with social interaction, speech and non-verbal communication, repetitive behaviours such as hand flapping or lining up objects, and intense focus on routines or specific interests.

Blake, like so many parents of children on the autism spectrum, is navigating unfamiliar terrain with no map and very little help.

"Because it is me alone, it is just overwhelming," she said. "To find school for him is a hard task because the school fees dem expensive. I am not working because I have to sit home with him. No daycare is willing to keep him and I don't have any family members who are willing to keep him as well, because Jamaica people do not understand autism, not even me. I am still learning as the day goes by."

Kishane now attends a basic school that is not tailored for children with special needs.

"He needs special care and a professional who can handle his diagnosis." Still, she's trying for both her sons.

"I try to give him more attention and I teach him as well. I just have to try and help to train him as best as I can." Her private battle became public after she posted an emotional video online, part breakdown, part plea for help.

Licensed special education teacher Memee White said she hears these cries too often.

"I do see that the parents are in distress about receiving the empathy and compassion that people need to have for how difficult it is to actually have a child with special needs, not only the logistical aspect of it but also the mental toll it has on the family, especially parents." White said the problem runs deeper than lack of services.

"There are issues and they need support, but from a cultural perspective I feel like there is not really that much empathy," she said. "My parents are Jamaicans, so I understand the cultural aspect of sometimes not understanding what the real situation is and expecting the parents to support their child when it really requires certain accommodations."

She hopes to change that. In September, White plans to open a school dedicated to children with autism, offering structured education and support where there is now only silence.

"In special education, there are a lot of observations that are made in the environment and that is why it is so important to understand that special awareness," she explained. "We are not getting proper assessments of the children and it's not the parent's fault because it is so expensive."

She added, "It's kinda ridiculous to expect the parents to pay everything out of pocket."

Persons who wish to assist Sashane Blake and her sons, may contact her at 876-808-1534.