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The changing of routine, new decorations in the home, the influx of visitors, whether in-person or online—all of this makes the holidays a particularly challenging time for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Add COVID-19 to the mix, and the complexity rises, with families everywhere navigating how to celebrate the holidays with new restrictions in place.

While it’s important to give your child a separate and quiet space to take time away from the noise and commotion, it’s also a good time to think of creative ways to include your child in preparing for and celebrating the holidays. Involving your child in cooking or baking is a great way to do this because you can customize the experience to target his or her specific interests, in addition to the specific skills on which you’re working. Likewise, you can adjust their participation to meet their abilities, without pushing too far.

 

Preparation

When planning what dish to make, simplicity is key. Use a recipe with manageable steps—and integrate your child’s interests in the process. You can do this both in content and appearance. For example, you can use recipes with their favorite ingredients or create a cookie that takes the shape of one of their interests, such as dinosaurs or flowers. Whether or not you have a cookie cutter in the form of a dinosaur or flower, you can use your hands and a dull knife to shape the dough into the overall form.

Preparing ahead to avoid your child’s aversions can go a long way, too. If a particular texture, smell, color, or sound distresses your child, choose a recipe that avoids them altogether, or provide items to help them cope—for instance, use gloves to avoid certain textures or headphones to soften the sound of the blender.

To break down challenges and find helpful adjustments, take a look at Cooking with Autism by Penny Gill, which is recommended and used by the Autism Awareness Center, Inc.

 

Finding the Right Approach for Your Child

The needs and preferences of each child with autism are unique, so make sure you consider these factors when deciding which tasks to assign your child in the kitchen. Below are two approaches you can choose from or adapt to best match your child’s abilities.

Maximizing ease, minimizing frustration
For children who generally require more accommodations, try to reduce complicated steps and the chance of overwhelm. Consider starting by showing your child a sample of what they’re making, like a batch or cookies already prepared so they can see the final product—and ultimately show more engagement in the cooking process. Instead of asking your child to find or measure ingredients, you can pre-measure all ingredients, and your child can simply add them into the recipe as you go. Alternatively, start with a batter you premix and have your child help set the recipe on its tray or pour it into the pan. That way, your child remains part of the cooking process, without having to go through the entire arduous experience.

Increasing participation and learning opportunities
Children who require less support can assist in more of the process. With guidance, they may be able to gather the ingredients themselves, measure the appropriate portions, and do the mixing. Start by walking your child through each step and reviewing the next step—this will help alleviate pressure so your child doesn’t become distressed or discouraged. Keep in mind that mistakes happen and provide an opportunity to show support and acceptance, while using creativity and problem-solving to find a solution.

 

With the right preparation, cooking and baking can be a fun and rewarding activity that allows you to bond with your child. In addition, cooking and baking introduce your child to basic and essential kitchen, math, and organizational skills, while providing a chance to work through sensory experiences in a safe (and hopefully tasty) way. As you embark on a cooking or baking project, don’t worry about the mess. Just savor the one-on-one time together—and the chance to taste and commemorate your hard work, as you ring in the holidays.

The coronavirus pandemic influences our daily activities and life in a profound way. With the holidays upon us, many families want to create new ways to celebrate the season and honor family traditions. Involving your children in different activities can be a great way to create fun and engaging experiences, while fostering your child’s development of social skills, citizenship, sense of belonging, and contribution.

As you spend more time at home, try these crafts that you and your children can do together to celebrate the season or, even, start a new tradition.

 

Sand Art Menorah and Candles

Lighting candles on a menorah is one of the most treasured traditions of Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights. After you make this, encourage your child to gift it to a friend or family member on Hanukkah, or use it yourselves to make the holiday symbolic and memorable.

MATERIALS

• One large glass jar

• Sand of a few different colors

• Small glass jars

• Funnel

• Silver straws or battery-operated tea lights

• Scissors

• Yellow grosgrain (or corded) ribbon

INSTRUCTION

Take eight small jars and one big jar. Use a funnel to fill the jars with colored sand. If you’d like, try pouring different colors into one jar to make layers. To create patterns, tilt the jar as you pour the sand or use a wooden popsicle stick to move the different colors around. Don’t forget to tap the jar after filling. Pick your favorite candles (such as birthday candles) to place in the jar. For younger children or children who may need additional supervision, silver straws, tea lights or battery-operated tea lights, are an excellent option.

 

Ink Blot Prints

Based on the famous Rorschach ink blog test, ink blot prints are tons of fun for kids to make and attempt to “read.” Help your children make prints to gift to someone they care about for New Year’s.

MATERIALS

• Small paintbrushes

• Medium weight art paper

• Sponges in different shapes

• Picture frame

• Tempera paints

INSTRUCTIONS

Take a white piece of paper and fold it in half. Generously dab or pour paint on one side of the folded paper. Try using differently shaped sponges to dab designs onto the paper. Next, fold the other side of the paper and press down. Open the paper to see the design and let it dry. Then ask your child: what shapes or images can you make out in the design? Place the painting in a frame to display it around your home, or wrap it up and give it to a friend or loved one.

 

Sensory Bottles

These fun, imaginative bottles are perfect to make for each person at your holiday table or to send to family members. Best of all, your child can make each bottle unique and customize it for each recipient.

MATERIALS

• Small bottle or jar

• Hair gel or baby oil

• Water

• Glitter

• Paper clips

• Water beads (or buttons or other small objects)

• Optional: Magnet, ribbon, permanent marker

INSTRUCTION

Take an empty bottle and pour in hair gel (or baby oil), water, and a little glitter. Add miniature objects, such as beads, buttons, figurines, and paper clips. Seal the bottle tightly and shake. To decorate the outside of the bottle, consider tying a ribbon around the neck or writing on the outside with permanent marker.

Once completed, your child can take a magnet alongside the exterior of the bottle to make the paper clips move. You can also turn the bottle in different directions to watch the objects slowly move around and settle.

 

Mini Clay Bowls

Unique clay bowls make a lovely Christmas Gift. After all, they’re great for storing everything from spare change and hair clips to buttons and safety pins. Kids love the squishy feel of clay—and take pride in making something useful for grown-ups.

MATERIALS

• Wax paper

• White air-dry clay

• Water

• Small rolling pin

• Cooking oil

• Non-washable ink pad

• Chipboard letters or rubber letter stamps

• Cotton swab

INSTRUCTIONS

Knead the clay for a few seconds to warm it up and loosen it. Flatten it on wax paper, maintaining at least a quarter-inch thickness. Wet the top of the clay with water to smooth the surface, and then let the clay sit for eight to 10 minutes.

Apply a small amount of cooking oil to the surface with your finger. Put the ink on your stamp and press it on the wet surface. To clean any unwanted oil or impression, use a cotton swab. Mold the corners to shape it into a bowl. Experiment with different shapes and sizes.  Leave the bowl on wax paper for three days to let it completely dry, and then wrap it up as a gift for family or friends.

Halloween can require some extra planning and precautions when celebrating with children who have autism. UAB Medicine published an article stating that recent studies have suggested at least one in 20 children is affected by a sensory processing disorder, and these symptoms can become more pronounced at Halloween. The costumes, extra sugar, noises and disruption of routine can all be very triggering and may lead to some challenging behaviors. This year with the additional safety and health precautions due to Covid-19, certain areas are restricting the ways in which we can celebrate, but parents can still make this a memorable holiday for their kids.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE

Halloween won’t seem like such a disruption of routine to children if parents plan ahead of time and let their kids know what to expect. Parents should discuss costume ideas, if their child is interested in wearing one, and have them participate in the process of choosing or creating it. Families can also incorporate family friendly Halloween movies during the month of October to associate positivity with the concept, like trick or treating, dressing up and the spooky décor, before the actual holiday takes place. Children with autism are able to adapt to new scenarios more favorably when they are not caught off guard and have ample preparation.

TRY SENSORY ACTIVITIES

Sensory activities are very beneficial for children with autism as it helps to stimulate the brain, improves social and communicative skills, facilitates coordination, and can have a calming effect. Lemon Lime Adventures published quite a few sensory play ideas themed for Halloween that would allow for a fun and unique celebration. Decorate pumpkins, cookies, or your home in lieu of trick-or-treating. If your child is interested in costumes, try a family themed one that everyone can be involved in.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VIRTUAL APPS

Trick-or-treating is unlikely to happen in many parts of the US right now, so this year is a good opportunity to celebrate from home. There are numerous avenues to try, from online Halloween scavenger hunts, pumpkin carving competitions and virtual costume contests. Parents can incorporate Zoom, FaceTime or any number of remote apps that have risen in popularity this year. Click here for a full list of remote ways to celebrate Halloween with kids this year.

While the world continues to adjust to life during a pandemic, we are continuing to find ways to adapt traditions and holidays to this new virtual format. Children can have an especially hard time with the transition and keeping some traditions alive, even in a remote setting, can help them feel grounded during this time of uncertainty.

This upcoming fall will be like no other for America’s children. As schools struggle to decide how to re-open safely, upheaval in classroom routines will affect every child, and most notably children with disabilities.

Even at schools that return to full in-class education, for most, the new landscape will include distancing measures including; masks, constant sanitizing, curtailed extra-curricular activities and other safety precautions. Teachers, more susceptible to Covid-19 than children, may be in short supply as they make decisions about the safety of their families and themselves.

The salutary effects of returning to the classroom will accrue across multiple dimensions. As the spring vividly illustrated, children learn demonstrably better in school than at home, an estimated 30% difference in reading and 50% in math, according to the North West Education Association. For children with disabilities, the return of therapists, mental health support and individualized education could be a boon to their progress.

Additionally, children appear to be at significantly lower risk of Covid-19 illness in school than the general population has been in its conventional daily activities. Twenty-two European countries have reopened school, albeit with the usual precautions, and not a single Covid hotspot has been reported. It is estimated that an infected child has a 1 in 100,000 chance of dying from Covid, about one-twentieth the morbidity rate of adults. (This is not to advocate for complacency; the odds are less sanguine for immunocompromised children.)

The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports a return to the classroom for educational, social-emotional and developmental reasons. The organization argues that children suffer in unseen ways when school is closed and moved online; they grow from interacting socially with other children and adults besides their parents, eating nutritious meals in communal settings and playing outside with peers.

Some schools are considering the pod approach where each class remains together throughout the school day. This eliminates the between-class hallway jam and mixed playground activities  that are conducive to spreading infection. If one child tests positive for Covid under this arrangement, only that pod would require quarantining.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that students should be kept in small cohorts, mimicking most elementary school arrangements. CDC recommends this be adopted by middle and high schools as well.

This new arrangement brings with it considerable changes and impact for students and teachers alike. The pod system is structured so that one teacher remains with a pod of 6-15 children all day in one classroom, eating meals and conducting all learning in the same environment. This impacts the delivery of specialist classes such as music, physical education, and other such classes. It also limits who the students interact with daily meaning that the opportunities for meeting new friends and mixing with other kids on the playground is eliminated. The social distancing requirements also mean that teachers cannot touch or physically comfort students- a significant adjustment for younger children starting school for the first time whose connection to their first teacher is critical for safety, well-being and adjustment.

“Districts should expect a longer transition period for some students with disabilities,” says District Administration, a resource for school administrators. Missing out on specialized instruction and school-based services, in addition to interruptions in routines, may pose challenges for these students. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends schools review the specific needs of each child with an IEP prior to their return to school.

Each state is crafting its own reconvening formulas based on CDC guidelines. That said, schools and parents must recognize that younger children and some children with disabilities will be challenged to follow mask protocols or observe distancing rules. Administrators planning safety procedures for the school year must take this complicating factor into account.

The transition back to school may come with a transition of its own, if Covid-19 infections across the nation continue to spike or if they flare up at an individual school. That might necessitate a shutdown and reintroduction of virtual learning. Being buffeted from in-person to online repeatedly could wreak havoc on children and parents alike, particularly those stressed by changes in routine.

Some counties have already announced that schools will not re-open in the fall, causing some parents to enlist with home school organizations, hire their own teachers, or apply to private schools. Some parents have organized social activities with their own small “pod” of families, hiring camp counselors and sports instructors to provide instruction and social and physical activities.

Parents of special needs children worldwide are struggling with the prospect of engaging the minds and bodies of their children through the ongoing summer of Covid-19.

For children with autism, routines and predictability are critical, threatened by the inexplicable disruption of closed schools and camps, and curtailed social outlets. Although some families are utilizing in-person and virtual services, for many, professional support has declined dramatically or evaporated entirely while the needs of children with autism remain the same.

So what are things we can do to make best use of this time?
With summer weather there are more opportunities to engage children in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities that ignite their imaginations and keep their bodies moving. But first, it is important to speak with children about the current situation in a way that helps them understand why their world has been transformed. Social stories and comic book conversations can help explain current circumstances.

Maintaining a routine is vitally important for children with autism. Meal, nap and play times should remain sacrosanct even as the activities within play time vary. Keeping an autistic child engaged around the clock amid today’s restrictions is going to take some imagination; here is a framework to help, which also allows for maintaining social distancing:

Exploit the good weather and get outside

1. Camp in the backyard. Teach your child how to put up a tent, cook outside and have a sleepover in your backyard or living room.

2. Use colored chalk to draw on the sidewalk.

3. Paint your fence. Use water if it is not in need of a new coat.

4. Visit a local pond. Feed the ducks. Race paper boats.

5. Hike in the woods. Talk about the different trees, plants, and animals you see and hear.

6. Learn about geocaching and go in search of caches. Visit geocaching.com for information and download an app.

7. Blow bubbles

Employ learning activities disguised as fun

1. Develop a secret code and write a letter to a friend using it.

2. Cook or bake together. Teach your child about measuring and following directions.

3. Play school and make your child the teacher. Ask them to teach you something they have learned.

4. Pick a favorite animal and read about it online. Create a fact sheet and draw a picture of the animal.

5. Make healthy snacks together and talk about what makes them healthy.

Engage in tactile activities

1. Go to a playground and play in the sand, on the swing and on the see-saw (many playgrounds are re-opening now with specific procedures in place for social distancing and disinfection).

2. Make slime or modeling dough using online recipes.

3. Spread shaving cream on a cookie sheet and draw in it.

4. String macaroni or beads.

5. Finger paint. Ask your child to spell out words.

6. Build contraptions with Legos.

Explore the world online

1. Visit a zoo, aquarium or museum. They are easy to find online. Here is the Montreal Science Centre.

2. Visit an online learning site like Scholastic. There are literally dozens of them.

3. Visit five spectacular National Parks – Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanos, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon in Utah and Dry Tortugas in Florida. Or take a trip to Mars.

4. Use a video conference platform to visit with a friend or therapist.

Be intentional about screen time and avoid using it as an anesthetic. An overload of screen time, including television, is associated with hyperactivity, difficulty sleeping and irritability.

Disruptions in the daily lives of children with autism caused by the novel coronavirus present significant challenges to parents. Innumerable resources exist online to keep children engaged physically and cognitively. For more ideas, visit https://www.autismspeaks.org/virtual-summer-activities.

By: Angela Montes, MS, BCBA

 

Racism. Its existence makes our hearts heavy, evokes sadness, generates uncertainty, and creates fear. Starting and having a conversation about racism has always been difficult. Even though it may make us uncomfortable, it’s an important conversation to have. As parents and caregivers, you may find yourself asking: How old does my child need to be to have this conversation? How do I even start the conversation? Are there any resources that will help me with this conversation? Here are some starting points, using some of the tools you might already have, to initiate a conversation about racism.

 

Ages 0-2:

It is recommended that children see their parents and caregiver interact with individuals whose race and ethnicity differ from their own. Take it a step further and enrich your environment to ensure that your child is exposed to books and toys that include multiple ethnicities. According to studies (Kelly, D.J., et al. 2005), children as young as three months old can categorize people by race. Early intervention is critical.

 

Children’s Books about Diversity

 

Ages 3-4:

Between this age, parents should continue to model inclusivity of other ethnicities via physical interactions, TV shows, books read, and toys purchased. Children who see their parents and caregivers engage in unbiased behavior benefit from the positive model they observe. As a proactive strategy, initiate the conversation of racism with your child by pointing out the differences in color of skin, hair, and language. It is important to show young children that differences exist and that it’s okay to be different.

 

10 Tips for Reading Picture Books with Children through a Race-Conscious Lens

 

Ages 5-11:

Between this age range, children are making stronger associations across racial groups. Continue the exposure of multiple ethnicities via books, TV shows, and interactions. Initiate a discussion about the subtleties within TV shows and how stereotypes often carry over into the real world. Begin to discuss how racism has created an unfair treatment of people of different

races. Continue the conversation that this issue has been ongoing and that they can help support the fight against racism through advocacy groups. Having direct conversations during this age can help improve racial attitudes. As a proactive strategy, parents and caregivers can begin conversations about racism early and not wait until their child is exposed to a racist event.

 

CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall

 

Ages 12 and up:

Keep the conversation going! During this time, continue to model interactions with other ethnicities, diversity within books, games, and TV shows. Remain open in dialogue, including answering questions children have about racism (even if it’s uncomfortable for you). These direct conversations promote inclusion and that it’s okay to discuss racism within your family structure. In doing so, you are providing different perspectives for your children. Teach your children how to recognize racism and how to respond to situations they may encounter. For example, you can equip your child with statements to use, such as “I don’t agree with you,” or “that wasn’t cool – because…” Additionally, ensure your child knows whom they can approach to report and discuss what they experienced. Using age-appropriate language, ensure that children also have the skill of self-awareness regarding race. From evaluation, that is your starting point to begin to educate your children on what race is and what it isn’t.

 

How to Talk to Your Kids About Anti-Racism: A List of Resources

 

Resources

Studies on the topic of race

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2566511/

(Kelly, D. J., Quinn, P. C., Slater, A. M., Lee, K., Gibson, A.,

Smith, M., Ge, L., & Pascalis, O. (2005). Three-month-olds,

but not newborns, prefer own-race faces. Developmental

science, 8(6), F31–F36.

 

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.0434a.x

 

https://www.academia.edu/3094721/Children_Are_Not_Colorblind_How_Young_Children_Learn_Race

 

 

Tools on How-To regarding racism

 

https://themighty.com/2015/04/what-to-do-when-kids-pointat-someone-in-public/

 

https://www.childrenscommunityschool.org/social-justiceresources/

 

https://centerracialjustice.org/resources/resources-fortalking-about-race-racism-and-racialized-violence-withkids/

 

https://www.embracerace.org/resources/10-tips-forreading-picture-books-with-children-through-a-raceconscious-lens

 

 

Resources to expand your library

 

https://akidsbookabout.com/

 

https://hereweeread.com/

 

https://bilingualkidspot.com/2019/05/13/diversity-booksfor-children

 

https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/books-about-diversityand-tolerance-for-young-kids/

Now that things are beginning to open back up in some communities, we may start to turn our thoughts to one of the luxuries that may have been unavailable to many of us for the past few months – babysitters! Particularly now, as many of us have been with our children for months, the thought of getting out and enjoying some adult time is especially appealing. And for some of us, it’s a matter of mental well-being. (Insert “raising hand” emoji!)

Before the pandemic, I was much more hesitant to leave my kids with someone who didn’t have a comprehensive working knowledge of my child’s needs. Many parents are finding that their regular babysitter or respite worker is no longer available, or is not yet ready to go into someone else’s home. If you are in the situation of hiring someone new to care for your kiddos, here are some tips to getting back in the babysitter / respite worker game:

Preparation and Planning

Leaving your children after such a long stretch of being together may be unnerving to you – and to them. Carefully consider what you need to do to make this successful – picking the time of day they may be happiest, avoiding leaving during difficult parts of their schedule (in our house, that’s bedtime), and listing the types of activities that are sure to keep them engaged and content (cough-electronics-cough). Being in the midst of a pandemic that seems to be more easily spread indoors than out, you may want to think about having everyone outside for a portion or all of the time the sitter or respite worker is there.

Interview – Be Honest About the Job 

If you are using a babysitter or respite worker you haven’t worked with before, be sure to disclose everything they need to know in order to determine if they are the right fit. Sometimes this part is easy to skip, because the most important pieces are also the parts that are most painful to talk about. Lead with all of the positives about your kiddos, but don’t forget to mention the hard parts – any toileting issues, aggression or other challenging behavior they may need to handle. It’s also extremely important to be crystal clear about the COVID precautions you expect them to take, and what you will be doing to protect them (masks, gloves, handwashing, disinfecting). Some parents will feel more comfortable inquiring about the new babysitter’s social distancing practices, and it’s important to clarify that ANY symptoms that arise requires a cancellation.

Virtual Orientation 

Before the pandemic, many of us would have a new babysitter or respite worker come over and get to know the kids on a day we’d all be together, or at the very least, have them come by early to get the lay of the land. These days, as we focus on preventing the spread of germs, you may want to have a “virtual” orientation to accomplish this. Though you may still want to spend some time with the new babysitter and your kids in person before you leave, getting through talks of where the emergency numbers are and how to handle challenging behavior is easily something you can accomplish via phone or Zoom.

Behavior Plan Cheat Sheet

If your child has a behavior plan for ABA sessions or in school, it’s a good idea to have a short-hand version for the babysitter or respite worker. There’s no need to give them the whole thing, but it’s a good idea to write down the pieces of it that you expect them to keep consistent. Respite workers may be more adept at implementing behavior plans than your typical babysitter, so adjust according to their experience and role.

Arrange the Environment 

If your house is anything like mine, there are toys and other items around that are more likely to cause issues than others. Maybe there are toys your children fight over, or things they need a lot of supervision to use, or non-food items that could end up in someone’s mouth. Do a scan of your house, and put away anything likely to cause an issue.

Prepare the Kid(s)

Every child needs a different type of preparation. It is helpful for some children to have a social story, especially if they haven’t been separated from their parents in a few months. It can also be comforting to others to have a “warming up” period while they get to know the new person in their parents’ presence. I know other moms who prefer to keep the transition short and sweet and “rip off the band-aid” by heading out immediately. You know your kid, consider what will work best and be intentional about how you approach this.

Once your area is safe and you are ready to leave your kids, planning ahead (even just a little bit) can do wonders for your ability to relax. Go enjoy your foray back into the world.

Please note: Different states are in different points in re-opening; this is not an endorsement to get a babysitter if that runs counter to the guidance in your area. 

Over the last 10 weeks, I know that most of us have experienced some level of fear, sadness, uncertainty, and hardship as the pandemic has swept across the country and changed almost every facet of American living. For many of us, these feelings have been compounded in recent days with sorrow, anger, and confusion as civil unrest has forced us to look hard at the inequities in American society. Especially to members of the Black community that we work with and serve, I send my personal support and empathy, and I want to be clear that we stand in support of the rights, safety and dignity of all people.

As an organization, it’s periods like these that force us to think deeply about our role in creating a brighter future in the communities we serve. Inherent in our mission is the idea that we exist to help children succeed. But now more than ever, it’s important to take stock of who we help and how we do it. I believe strongly that:

• Our mission is to deliver as much hope as we can, to as many families as we can, equally and fairly within all the communities we serve.
• We have a duty to serve all families with compassion, respect and understanding of their circumstances.
• While society as a whole may not be a level playing field, we must do better to create a workplace that is inviting, and model inclusion and diversity.

So what’s next?

1. We will be re-evaluating how we train and support the clinical competency of our clinical and administrative team to ensure that our services are compassionate for all
2. We will be tasking our Diversity & Inclusion Committee with generating new ideas on how we can better promote a diverse and inclusive workplace
3. We will continue to proactively seek to expand our services to underserved communities in need

Every step forward counts, and if we can make small progress every day towards our ideals, we can deliver results that will continue to make us proud to work for LEARN as we do our part to contribute to a brighter future for all.

#togetherwecan

-Justin