During this entire pandemic the world has seriously been shaken. Anxiety and stress are high for most people. However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are particularly prone to distress in response to changes or disruptions in their typical routines.
Give your kids the opportunity to describe what they know and how they feel about the current situation. In addition to verbal responses, make sure to offer your child the opportunity to answer using visuals tools (such as pictures or emojis). This will give you a sense of what they understand and feel about the current situation as well as an opportunity to provide them with appropriate information and correct any misinformation.
Also, limit your child’s exposure to the news (such as the current number of positive cases of coronavirus), as the news can heighten their level of stress and anxiety.
During the coronavirus crisis, many families who have children with autism spectrum disorder are facing the suspension of both school and essential services that their children are used to receiving. Additionally, children with autism may have difficulty adjusting to changes in their routine and environment.
In order to establish a schedule that will be the easiest to transfer to staying at home try the following:
- Continue routines such as hygiene, getting dressed and organizing materials needed for the day. This will maintain the practice of activities of daily living and provide cues for different parts of the day.
- Incorporate physical breaks, including fine/gross motor activities.
- Schedule in breaks for yourself. Taking care of a child 24/7 without the support of a community and school places even more responsibility on a parent. Try to schedule breaks during the day when your child’s schedule allows it
- Visual schedules. Work with what you have in your home to create a schedule that has a visual component (like pictures or drawings). Tape and Post-its on a wall work also well. The most important thing is to develop a clear structure and routine that the child understands. Put the schedule in an easy-to-access place and guide your child through it each day. Be realistic and patient. It will take some time for you and your child to get used to it. Go through it several times each morning and throughout the day and preview the next day.
- Try to create different activity zones. Set aside parts of the living space for academic activities, eating, recreation and sleep. If your child has strong tactile sensory interests, keep a few sensory toys that they can interact with in a specific area. This way, you can make sure that these toys are regularly sanitized, and you can teach your child what items they should and should not get sensory input from.
- Promote social communication and personal independence. Try to set up highly preferred activities in hard-to-reach places, in clear containers with labels that have words or pictures identifying what they are. This encourages children to intentionally communicate their wants. At the same time, if you want your child to continue practicing skills (for example, making their own lunch), increase easy access by leaving materials within easy reach or setting up clear labels and stations for them.
This is a learning process for everyone during this time. We all are faced with new challenges that we've never faced before. Staying home is the best thing that we can do right now and this allows us to be innovative and creative. Maybe during this pandemic, you'll grow in a way that you never thought was possible.
As the saying goes: Keep Calm & Carry On. All children need love during a time like this. Tell your children that you love them.
2 comments
I tried placing a order during the autism month promotion but the code did not work. I wanted to order 4 items
I dont have any members of my family with autism!keeping children busy will parents works online during this lockdown ,that doesn’t compare with what the parents with special needs has to go through , when they had a
schedule and to be at home all day they get stressful. Thanks for sharing it is a good article and thanks for supporting children with autism. God Bless You.
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