The coronavirus and the spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on everyone in our community. People in the autism community have been particularly impacted with schools being closed, limited access to necessary therapies, being out of routine and a lot of uncertainty about the near and distant future.
We have collected information regarding how to communicate to your child regarding the coronavirus as well as some other helpful information. Links are provided below. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. If you have additional resources and information, please leave in the comment section below.
- Plain and direct language description of coronavirus with visuals: Green Mountain Advocates
- A Social Story written by Carol Gray about pandemics and the coronavirus: carolgraysocialstories.com
- How to explain a global health crisis to children with autism: Psychology Today
- How to help when your child’s routine is disrupted: themighty.com
- Tips to help kids cope with social distancing: casenews.fiu.edu
- An article published on the Children’s blog about helping kids and teens cope with anxiety about the coronavirus: https://pulse.seattlechildrens.org
Some links on YouTube helping children with anxiety:
Nemours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDtXTiNT-_E
Child Mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhVad8ToCiU
Information for Parents:
WA State Department of Health: Talking to Kids about COVID-19: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com
Autism Speaks COVID-19 Information and Resources page for families, educators and health professionals and non-english resources: www.autismspeaks.org/news/covid-19
A list of resources from the National Autism Association: https://nationalautismassociation.org/covid-19-resources-for-families/
Information about Schools:
Washington State: https://www.k12.wa.us/sites
US Department of Education: https://www2.ed.gov/policy
State and Local Resources:
Governor’s Office: https://www.governor.wa.gov/issues/issues/covid-19-resources
Seattle Mayor’s Office: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/covid-19
Please share these resources. And remember to avoid crowds, stay home if you or someone in your family is sick and wash those hands!
