Special Children Need Extra Care During COVID-19; Find Out How

The coronavirus pandemic has created unique concerns for caregivers and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. How can they go into self-isolation? 

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. those with intellectual disability, moderate to severe developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, muscular dystrophy or brain disorders like cerebral palsy may be more susceptible to severe illness from COVID-19.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are a diverse group of people, and so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping them healthy. 

The basic recommendations of washing hands frequently etc become complicated for people with disabilities and their caregivers. 

The protocols for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the professionals should be tailored to the unique needs of the person and the situation facing their community.

It’s important to communicate with family members about coronavirus using facts but not unnecessary fear. A watch should be kept for signs of distress that can be caused by changes in routine. If the family member lives in a group home or independently, make sure hand washing and other hygiene precautions are being taken.

We are living through a pandemic. Most of us have never experienced anything like this before and are feeling concerned and overwhelmed.

Since places across India (and around the world) are closing schools, cancelling public gatherings, and closing non-essential government buildings (e.g. museums, parks, etc) children’s daily lives will be impacted even if they do not get sick.

Given that many children with autism, intellectual disabilities, etc. have social-communication challenges, it might seem daunting to try to explain something like this. After all, if we can barely understand it ourselves, how can we help children understand without scaring them? 

Hopefully, these recommendations given below can help parents/caregivers as we all try to navigate this challenging time. 

1. Make sure to take care of yourself. Remember the airline safety briefing that tells adults to “put on your own oxygen mask before helping others”? Well, it turns out that the saying applies to challenging or traumatic experiences and children’s well-being too. Children cope better when their parents are resilient and have strong social support.
2. Try to establish a “new normal” in terms of daily routines. Children tend to like predictability and routines, and it can be tricky without school to structure the day. It might help to make a daily schedule while schools are closed so that kids know what will happen during the day and when it will happen.
3. Speak with kids about current events, but use age-appropriate language and demonstration that they can understand.
4. For children with ASD or other social-communication challenges, it can be helpful to use visuals to help explain both what is happening (e.g. there are germs making people sick) and what to do (e.g. wash our hands, cover our cough, etc). The social stories are particularly good, as it includes helpful images about both COVID-19 itself, best practices for good hygiene, and information about school/recreation closures.

Hopefully, this information can help parents and caregivers of children with ASD and other developmental disorders during this tough time. 

(Consultant, SVNIRTAR,Cuttack)

(The views expressed by the author are his own and do not necessarily represent that of the website)