Embracing Every Mind, Supporting Every Family: OURI at SPEKIX 2025
On October 4-5, 2025, we had the privilege of joining the Special Kids Expo (SPEKIX) at Jakarta International Convention Center. A deeply meaningful event built to create a more inclusive space for children with special needs and the people around them. We often focus our attention entirely on supporting the child, ensuring their development, well-being, and access to proper care. Yet in that journey, we sometimes forget about the parents, siblings, and caregivers who walk alongside them every day. SPEKIX reminded us that supporting a child also means supporting their community.
SPEKIX is more than just an event — it is a celebration of courage, creativity, and resilience among children with special needs and their families. It stands as a reminder that inclusion is not only about providing access, but also about building understanding, empathy, and shared community care.
This year, OURI joined SPEKIX with a clear purpose: to open conversations about the emotional well-being of families who live alongside children with special needs, not only the child, but also the parents, siblings, and caregivers who share the journey every day.
From our booth, we introduced who we are and the services we provide, but more importantly, we focused on building a space where people could talk, be heard, or simply take a pause. Many families carry a lot quietly and sometimes what they need first is a place to land – a space to process or a listening ear. To make the booth interactive and meaningful, we brought a simple activity called:
“Ambil Satu, Berikan Satu”
We invited visitors to pick an affirmation card, a short message of support or grounding. Noticing how words of affirmation or grounding can affect them, we then challenged them to write one message of encouragement for someone else. Some wrote quickly, some took their time, and some simply stood there thinking. The basket slowly filled with small pieces of kindness written by strangers for strangers. It became a reminder that everyone here is trying, learning, and doing their best in their own unique journey.
Through one of the seminar sessions held by SPEKIX, our Co-Founder and child psychologist, Ghianina Armand, BSc, MSc, M.Psi., Psikolog, moderated a discussion session titled: “Berjuang Dalam Sepi: Dinamika Emosi Sibling Dari Anak ASD.” led by family psychologist and head of Yayasan Autisma Indonesia, Dr. Adriana Ginanjar. This session focused on a group that is often overlooked: the siblings.
During the session, we discussed several key emotional experiences that siblings commonly navigate, such as:
- The invisible responsibilities they sometimes carry
- The emotional weight they may not express
- The need for them to have space for their own feelings and identity
It sparked conversations that felt honest and necessary. Many participants shared that they had never discussed these feelings openly before. Being part of SPEKIX reminded us that supporting a child also means supporting the environment that holds them – the entire family system. Recognizing everyone’s emotional experience is also a part of inclusion.
Our participation in SPEKIX 2025 reinforced the importance of addressing the emotional landscape of families supporting children with special needs. Beyond therapeutic interventions for the child, the well-being of parents and siblings plays a critical role in sustaining a healthy family system. By creating a space for honest conversation, reflection, and shared understanding, we aim to support each family member’s experience in a way that feels meaningful, interconnected, and holistic. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this year’s event and to connect with families, practitioners, and communities who share similar commitments with us at SPEKIX 2025.
