caregiving for someone with autism

Walk a mile in my shoes as mother of two children with autismThe daily weight of caregiving is exhausting, and affects caregivers’ mental health, not to mention careers. What can be done to ease the burden?Lim Hong HuayFollow topic:Caregivers/CaregivingPublished Aug 19, 2026, 5:00 AMUpdated Aug 19, 2026, 5:00 AMListenWhen middle age struck, my body gave way. Three operations and multiple health problems in the span of five years taught me that I have to care better for myself, in order to care longer for my children even as adults. I began to learn to say “I cannot”, “I need a break”, “please help me”. Forgiveness and self-care are essential survival skills for a caregiver. I started CaringSG in 2020, a non-profit initiative to support caregivers of children with special needs. It has served more than 5,000 caregivers. I was also a steering committee member for the Enabling Masterplan 2030 and co-chaired the Alliance for Action for Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities. These national initiatives help develop solutions related to support for caregivers. As for the impending task force recommendations, to prevent families like Soo and Lu from slipping through the cracks of our society, we need intentional and tighter care coordination across life stages. Embedding mainstream funding for caregiver support within the provision of disability services would ensure programme sustainability. In the workplace, I hope for more support for caregivers to find and stay in jobs. Work gives dignity, purpose and relief. With a job, caregivers can continue to contribute income taxes and to the nation’s economic growth. With the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests, I hope more employers will support caregivers’ requests for flexi-place, flexi-time and flexi-load options. For businesses, supporting a worker who is a caregiver could reduce needless turnover and boost employee engagement. Ultimately, a caregiver’s well-being is proportional to the amount of societal support.Some caregivers stop hoping for help, accept the status quo, and stay in “bubble” lives of seclusion. In CaringSG’s CAREkaki programme, we visited homes with grassroots workers. It was not surprising to find those with disabilities or autism locked away in the home with aged caregivers. On the other hand, many caregivers have grown new businesses and spearheaded ground-up initiatives.My wishes are for more medical, allied health, social service and educational professionals to go into our homes to know our lives and our children better. When things do not work out as expected, please stick with us to search for new answers together. And also that when we caregivers are no longer able to look after our children, we would like to know there are dignified and trustworthy care options so our children will not be left behind and forgotten. Family, friends and professionals – all of society – walk with us. We need you.•Lim Hong Huay, a developmental and behavioural paediatrician, is the founder of CaringSG and a senior consultant at Rophi Clinic Novena.•The Spectrum is an Opinion series that examines the issues and challenges people with autism and their caregivers face across the different stages of their lives.See more onCaregivers/CaregivingAutismSingapore societyTop storiesExplore top stories from all sections in one placeSingaporeAsiaAsiaSingapore‘I don’t know what to tell our 7-year-old daughter’: Husband of S’pore woman missing in Nepal floods9 Singaporeans among 517 foreigners out of contact after deadly Nepal-Tibet floodsSearch for 1,300 missing after deadly Nepal-Tibet floodsEn bloc reforms may spark more deals, but not a repeat of 2018 boom cycleq