You can have questions about good informing methods in case of children with special needs as well. What should you tell them in these special circumstances? How and when should you tell it?

As an involved parent, you are probably familiar with the fact that you have to regulate everything in accordance with the needs of your child. You have to analyze and consider every move you make and you have to give information or ask for anything slowly, step by step. Keep it in mind that children are able to feel and take the anxiety of the parents. It is recommended to assure the kids – and yourselves as well – that although these circumstances are unknown, they will end once. Each vitamin C pill you take, each hand wash and keeping a social distance are all contributing to protecting yourselves and the surrounding people. The goal is to protect the children from panicking and feeling desperate, but first, you have to calm yourselves.

The first and most important hygienic measure is to learn how to wash hands properly and to make it a routine. Also, you want to make it understood with the children that social distancing is an important measure for a while, but there are plenty of opportunities to play at home as well. Playing can help decrease their anxiety and proceed with the happenings. You can give space to creativity and games.

It is important to create a safe environment where every question can be asked – several times, if necessary – and to always give them the same calming answers, as many times as they need. Honest conversations are a good way to settle trust and make the family connections deeper.

It is not only us who take it hard, the immediate and surprising requirements to change the well-known routines and traditions for an uncertain time. For children and for people with special  needs the terms “for weeks” and “for months” don’t have a meaning, it is a huge challenge for them to be patient and calm about the situation that is out of their comfort zone.

Adjusting to new situations and to accept changes is hard for the children, even if the reasons have been explained to them. It is even a harder case for the kids who are not able to understand properly why they cannot go out to play any more or to meet friends. The diseases and viruses are not touchable or visible things, their imagination requires abstract thinking because we don’t meet them in our daily lives like we meet birds or bugs.

It is recommended to set the new rules and routines step by step, changing small pieces and aim not to change absolutely the everyday tasks. Try to look for compromises, give time for
the acceptance of the children and try to put the focus on transparency as much as possible.

If they ask

It is important to answer the questions of the children with tranquility, according to their maturity level. Try to understand their needs in the ongoing situation, to reveal what their real interests are, because it is possible that they only want to get comforted and not really interested in official data. Too much information and too scientific language (that might seem normal to us) can frighten them in case they don’t understand them. Too little information is not good either because that does not flatten their curiosity. Don’t make the topic of the virus a taboo, they have to know what is going on in the world, also if someone gets sick in the family and about the ways we can help family members.

If you initiate

Having a calming, safe environment and a part of the day when the children are quiet but alert is a good opportunity to keep their attention for a while to have a clarifying conversation. Make sure that the children understand the happenings, the reasons and the fact that following simple rules help decrease the chances to become sick.
Choose simple words and sentences to tell what you want, you can also use images, illustrations or videos if needed. The point of simple communication is to share every information in a simple way, using short sentences and using words that are easy to understand. You can use cute drawings, or you can prepare objects and illustrations together with the children to help proceed.
You can find examples in the following pdf file here.
We find it a useful website that can help caregivers to handle the current crisis with autistic
children and people here.

It can take a long time to make new traditions in the circle of children with special educational
needs, especially in our running world where children normally meet the parents only at nights and spending quality time is possible only at the weekends.
Try to make advantage of your time spent at home now to help independence, to strengthen
relationships and to take real care of each other!

Rita Kőszegi, Forest Tale Daycare