COVID-19: “Bubble up” NZ
Wow! Isn’t this an interesting time to be living in!
For most us, this means that we’re having to postpone regularly-scheduled life until further notice. It also means that many parents/caregivers are now responsible for overseeing their childs’ learning and/or therapy.
You may be finding this all quite overwhelming, but you can do this! And we are here to help.
We thought that we would put together a few quick tips to help make this experience a little more manageable. But remember, stay within the realms of achievable. Be kind to yourself.
Tips for alert levels 3 and 4
Routine, routine, routine
It starts with a routine, not only for kids but also for us parents. Humans are creatures of habit and routines. Indeed, research shows our sensitivity to regularities in our everyday lives is present very early in life.
When we can reliably predict what’s going to happen next, our learning is enhanced and our anxiety levels remain in check. This is the same for adults and children alike. As such, maintaining regular routines as best we can is one way we can feel in control of an otherwise largely uncontrollable situation.
If you feel as though you need some extra support for your child to follow the routine, try a visual schedule. You can make one yourself using paper, or use an app such as Choiceworks, where you can edit existing schedules, or make your own.
Talk to your children
Explain clearly to children why we are all asked to be indoors and the importance of adhering to this restriction. Sesame Street and Autism have some tips regarding the current situation for both verbal and non-verbal children.
Gadgets or no gadgets
In times like this, some parents are wary of giving their children too much screen time even while they struggle to keep them occupied. Don’t fight screen time, instead keep an age appropriate quota and use digital media strategically to get you through the most difficult times of the day. If you need time for self-care or work, now is not the time to be hard on yourself –this is a temporary situation that requires a few changes to rules so everyone can get through.
Nurture a hobby
Some kids have a passion for painting or drawing or storytelling. Develop tasks that tap that passion. Find free online resources that could support you e.g. if your child loves animals, places such as the Auckland Zoo and San Diego Zoo have live cams, tours and activities.
If you don’t know what the passion is yet, that’s okay! Spend some time exposing your child to different experiences - something may just pop up!Exercise
Set aside some time each day to work out with children outdoors or indoors. This not only engages the child but helps let off some “pent-up energy.” Fortunately, the weather in NZ is still relatively fine so take advantage and go for family walks or bicycle rides. However, if you venture beyond your house, avoid contact with public surfaces (e.g. no playground equipment), remember to wash your hands with soap before and after you return and give others adequate space to respect social distancing. If you are indoors, try to build an obstacle course, or use free online resources such as YouTube P.E classes or dance tracks.
What next?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t be afraid to ‘fail’. If you are doing something and it's not working out the way you hoped, try something new.
There is a wealth of resources available, but here are some that are more specific to having a child with a diagnosis of ASD:
Wide Open School
Autism.org - helpful resources
Autistic and Unapologetic
If you are looking for more specific free online resources e.g. online museum / zoo / Mars tours and ‘field trips’, letters, shapes, reading, writing, science, P.E, maths, podcasts for kids, or activity ideas, please contact us so we can send you our most up to date list.
Acorn Autism is providing services via telepractice during alert levels 3 and 4. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Acorn Autism for more information.