Post #1 Sharing information about Coronavirus
The National Autistic Society provides information about Coronavirus which you may find helpful as a parent: NAS Information about Coronavirus Some of you will have children who are asking questions about pandemics, Coronavirus and COVID-19. Many of these questions may become repetitive as anxiety increases. Sharing information about this topic may be useful for some children. You may also need to find ways to alleviate their worries to reduce their anxiety.
Another helpful resource gives examples of how to share information about Covid-19 with people with autism, see: James Sinclair - Autism & Covid-19
Sharing information is best done in an autism-friendly way. Carol Gray's Social Stories will be familiar to some parents and many children will already have experience of this strategy. Carol has kindly provided a Social Story on her website: My Social Story about Pandemics and the Corona Virus.
Please note that a Social Story like this may need to be adapted for your son or daughter to take into account their particular strengths and level of understanding. Nevertheless, this may get you started on a personalised Social Story. When presenting information about the current situation make sure you stick to facts (as we all know, social media is full of rumours!) and use clear language.
Another resource which may be helpful is a story provided by ELSA Support. 'ELSA Support is a website which provides downloadable resources that support the teaching of emotional literacy or emotional intelligence'. https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/
Whilst not aimed specifically at individuals with autism, many of the resources can be adapted for our youngsters. The ELSA support story about Coronavirus includes clear language, visual information and a superheroes' theme! You can find it here: A story about Coronavirus
Your son or daughter may want to write their own story about the topic, or create an information leaflet for the family. This reminds me of another important point - some children might need to know what they can do to help, or may feel reassured if they are given a practical task which will help them and the family to stay well. You could include this in a story or leaflet, or you could make a poster with your child showing what they and the family can do, for example 'wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds' or 'while we cannot go to see nanny, talk to her on Skype'.
Importantly to avoid fixation on the virus you may need to support your child to 'finish' talking about the topic and to move on to a different topic or activity. Use clear phrases such as "talking about Coronavirus has finished, now it's time for ....". Some children will want to talk about the topic more than once during the day. In this case it may be helpful to have some clear rules about when they may discuss the topic, for example indicating on their timetable or schedule when this is allowed (more detailed posts on home-friendly visual timetables and schedules to follow).
Some children will find it difficult to 'move on' from this topic which may consequently increase their anxiety. Writing worries on pieces of paper and then posting into a 'worry box' to 'get rid' of them may help some children. Others may prefer a list which they can add their worries to and also list what they can do to stay well. This type of list can be helpful for those children who find it difficult to stop thinking about their worries, it shifts their focus from worries to actions. The list might then be incorporated into a Social Story to remind them of what they can do. Here is a simple one to illustrate:
Lots of people like to have something they can do – this helps them to stop worrying for a little while. A list of worries and what to do might be helpful for me. It might look like this:
I can add more worries if I have them. Mum and dad will help me to think of things I can do.
I will try to remember to check my list if I am worried. I can tell mum or dad too. My mum and dad will be pleased if I let them know when I am worried about Coronavirus because they can help me to do things so we can stay well.
Another helpful resource gives examples of how to share information about Covid-19 with people with autism, see: James Sinclair - Autism & Covid-19
Sharing information is best done in an autism-friendly way. Carol Gray's Social Stories will be familiar to some parents and many children will already have experience of this strategy. Carol has kindly provided a Social Story on her website: My Social Story about Pandemics and the Corona Virus.
Please note that a Social Story like this may need to be adapted for your son or daughter to take into account their particular strengths and level of understanding. Nevertheless, this may get you started on a personalised Social Story. When presenting information about the current situation make sure you stick to facts (as we all know, social media is full of rumours!) and use clear language.
Another resource which may be helpful is a story provided by ELSA Support. 'ELSA Support is a website which provides downloadable resources that support the teaching of emotional literacy or emotional intelligence'. https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/
Whilst not aimed specifically at individuals with autism, many of the resources can be adapted for our youngsters. The ELSA support story about Coronavirus includes clear language, visual information and a superheroes' theme! You can find it here: A story about Coronavirus
Your son or daughter may want to write their own story about the topic, or create an information leaflet for the family. This reminds me of another important point - some children might need to know what they can do to help, or may feel reassured if they are given a practical task which will help them and the family to stay well. You could include this in a story or leaflet, or you could make a poster with your child showing what they and the family can do, for example 'wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds' or 'while we cannot go to see nanny, talk to her on Skype'.
Importantly to avoid fixation on the virus you may need to support your child to 'finish' talking about the topic and to move on to a different topic or activity. Use clear phrases such as "talking about Coronavirus has finished, now it's time for ....". Some children will want to talk about the topic more than once during the day. In this case it may be helpful to have some clear rules about when they may discuss the topic, for example indicating on their timetable or schedule when this is allowed (more detailed posts on home-friendly visual timetables and schedules to follow).
Some children will find it difficult to 'move on' from this topic which may consequently increase their anxiety. Writing worries on pieces of paper and then posting into a 'worry box' to 'get rid' of them may help some children. Others may prefer a list which they can add their worries to and also list what they can do to stay well. This type of list can be helpful for those children who find it difficult to stop thinking about their worries, it shifts their focus from worries to actions. The list might then be incorporated into a Social Story to remind them of what they can do. Here is a simple one to illustrate:
Coronavirus, Worries and What I Can Do
Lots
of people are worried about Coronavirus. This is because the virus will make
some people ill. These worries are normal. There are different ways to try to reduce our
worries. One way for me would be to talk to mum or dad about my worries. Lots of people like to have something they can do – this helps them to stop worrying for a little while. A list of worries and what to do might be helpful for me. It might look like this:
I can add more worries if I have them. Mum and dad will help me to think of things I can do.
I will try to remember to check my list if I am worried. I can tell mum or dad too. My mum and dad will be pleased if I let them know when I am worried about Coronavirus because they can help me to do things so we can stay well.
No doubt over the coming months there will many worries for us all. For some children with autism, learning facts about Coronavirus may be helpful and they may have a 'matter of fact' approach. However, for some, their worries may feel overwhelming and lead to greater anxiety than is usual for them. Finding other ways to reduce their anxieties will be important. In summary:
- Keep information factual
- Limit time to discuss the topic for those who fixate on topics
- Use Social Stories and other visual stories (see Carol Gray's website for detailed information on using this approach https://carolgraysocialstories.com/
- Find ways to express worries and then to shift the focus from worry to actions
Future posts will offer further suggestions for reducing anxiety.
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