Your Family and Covid-19

Wow. Whether you are freaking out about this virus or think it is overblown, the fact is, our world is a mess. People are sick and the president declared a National Emergency. International travel is limited. Many people are working from home. As of last week, restaurants and bars around the country were mandated to close. Sports seasons are canceled. March Madness indeed! How can you and your family manage the change and stress?

Are your schools closed now too? E will be out for at least 3 weeks.

Disclaimer: I am not meaning this to be a woe is me whiny post. I understand self-quarantine is important. I work with kids and adults with profound disabilities – most of which who are medically compromised. These are some of the people we all need to protect from this virus.

ROUTINE!!!!

This will not last forever. But it may be tough. Some kids can do fine with a change in routine – no big deal, play some video games, yadda yadda. You may be one of those super homeschool moms who have tons of resources at the ready and can largely treat this as normal time (minus some outings) . Maybe you are artsy and want to use this as a time for creativity and fun with your kids. That’s fabulous. Bless you and teach me your ways.

But I am not a homeschool mom. I am not a stay at home mom. And my kid is not loosey goosey with routines. Given you are on a blog for kids with sensory concerns, there’s a good chance your kid isn’t great with routine changes either.

So what can we do?

LOWER your expectations. I have seen some beautiful schedule ideas online already for parents to work on with their children while they are cooped up inside and out of school. Here are a couple examples:. If this is something that will cause stress rather than joy, skip it. Using these as more of a “jumping off point” is a great compromise.
UTILIZE RESOURCES: look at your school’s websites or Facebook profiles to see if they are offering online learning or resources. Some schools are offering virtual learning during this time.
DETERMINE A SCHEDULE that you would be comfortable sticking with for the next 2+ weeks. If you will be home with your child, figure out a schedule for home with him or her. Determine if screen time is something you will allow or not. Some children with SPD/executive functioning problems/ADD do not react well to screen time such as iPads. If your child will be at a daycare, family member’s house, etc. try to encourage as much similarity and structure as normal. Same meal times. Bath at the same time.
MOVE. Clear the floor and dance. Move the couch cushions onto the floor and make an obstacle course. Maybe go for a short walk (consider avoiding the park!). Movement is so important to the body and brain.
REMEMBER: this is not going to last forever. By practicing social distancing and staying home from things like schools and restaurants, we are trying to “flatten” the curve.

Here are some wonderful resources I have found regarding Covid-19.

(1) Facebook page for Stephanie Grant, PhD who has posts on Covid-19, including how to talk to your children about it
(2) Free educational resources to use while your child(ren)’s school is closed due to the Coronavirus

Thank you for reading. May you and your family be healthy and blessed.