In light of the communication challenges, resistance to change and difficulty with transitions that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience, we understand that these times may be extremely challenging. So we asked Debra Reicher, PhD, a clinical child and adolescent psychologist with our Clinical Autism Program for suggestions.
Below are Dr. Reicher’s tips to ease this transition:
- As a parent, it’s really important for you to take care of yourself. Adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise in addition to relying on your own social support network will have a direct and positive impact on your child’s ability to cope.
- Now that families are sheltering in place and in close quarters, be careful what your child hears adults and older children saying in front of them in the house. Children with ASD can be literal or concrete and may misinterpret dramatic and/or sarcastic comments.
- Speak to your child using words they’ll understand when explaining the virus. Young children and children who are developmentally delayed have difficulty understanding abstract concepts and benefit from basic and concrete information. This may be something like “There’s a sickness going around and we need to wash our hands a lot. There won’t be school for a while and we’ll get to spend more time with our family.” And while older and higher functioning children may understand more, be sure not to overwhelm your child with details of anxiety provoking information. Some children with ASD will go on adn on about this and it will be difficult to interrupt. Limit the amount of news your child is exposed to throughout the day.
- What may be most stressful of all for your child is the interruption in his or her routine, particularly not attending school. Children with ASD thrive on routines and often respond intensely when changes to their established routine are made. Allow and help your child to express their feelings of distress and let them know its ok to do so and that you understand why they feel that way.
- Children with ASD often benefit from the use of visuals. Simple drawings, illustrations and photos can be used to explain the virus and its impact. An excellent example of this that explains the many aspects of the coronavirus outbreak can be found here.
- Create and place in several highly visible areas of your home, a schedule that divides the day into either half hour or hour sections depending on the age and developmental level of your child. Have the day revolve around three meals. Try to keep the weekdays somewhat consistent so your child develops a new routine.
- In terms of school work, just do the best you can. Setting aside a time of day for school may help. Once the timeframe ends, school is over for the day whether or not the entire packet of work is completed. Have your child complete paper schoolwork in the same place each day and do your best to provide a quiet, clean and well-lit area as free from distractions as possible. Make as much of the schoolwork as you can be assignments that allow your child to engage more than one of their senses at a time and that have some depth and breadth to them. Cook, play, make crafts and look at the moon and stars. Don’t be afraid to tweak assignments to better fit your child’s needs if necessary.
- Go back to the basics. Use tried and true ways that have worked for you previously for reinforcing your child’s good behavior and for following the rules. Fun activities, video games, snacks, late bedtime, etc. can all be potential rewards. Make a bucket of rewards that your child can pick from. The element of surprise will add to the process and decrease the likelihood of boredom from using the same positive reinforcer/reward over and over. Catch your children being good. Praise them aloud. A little praise can go a long way.
- Be sure your children get to exercise daily in some way. Walking around the block, having a relay race in the basement or even jumping can help blow off steam.
- Ask if any of your health providers (psychologist, social worker, speech and language therapists, teachers, occupational therapists) are offering telehealth as an option for virtual appointments to keep your child connected.
- Reach out to other parents of children with ASD and share your ideas!