AKU and partners launch free mental health therapy training for parents.

KARACHI -- Aga Khan University has partnered with a range of organizations to launch free, online capacity building sessions for parents of children with mental health issues and developmental disorders whose treatment has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative brought together professionals from across the country including developmental paediatricians, speech and occupational therapists, child psychiatrists, paediatrics psychologists and student volunteers, said AKU spokesman here on Monday.

The sessions were said to help parents receive training on how to deliver rehabilitative care and essential therapies at home if they were unable to access the usual support. For example, instructors would guide parents on how to provide therapies to help children with developmental delays to improve their functional independence, and assist parents in managing behavioral issues that have emerged during the pandemic.

Direct sessions between therapists and adolescents facing psychological challenges would also be offered,emphasizing on stress management techniques.

'Children dealing with development delays or behavioral disorders need ongoing, special attention,' said Dr Ayesha Mian, associate professor of psychiatry at AKU.

'This pandemic has widened disparities in access to essential mental healthcare and our initiative seeks to help parents continue therapy for their children at home.'

She said many people were suffering from feelings of fear and anxiety due to the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. However, parents of children with special needs must also cope with the fear of their child's development regressing due to the disruption in their therapy.

'Children on the autism spectrum could regress and lose the gain they had made in speech therapy,' said Fatima Karim, one of the initiative's lead organizers and a master's degree student at AKU.

'Those with conduct disorders may become aggressive towards siblings...