General Precautions: (Apply to You and Your Family)

• Wear a mask in public.
• Avoid contact with the visibly ill.
• Social distance—stay six feet apart.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Wash your hands often with warm water.
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• Do not touch your face.
• Use gloves as often as possible.
• Avoid touching surfaces with your bare hands.
• Check your temperature daily.

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Protecting Your Household:

• Prepare a list of local organizations that can quickly be contacted if additional information and resources are needed.
• Keep up with local COVID-19 conditions.
• Clean frequently used surfaces and electronics in your home.
• Consider your child’s risk of contraction and be aware of their surroundings.
• Create an emergency contact list.
• Be aware of your pets’ surroundings.
• Do not let pets interact with anyone outside of your household.
• Clean groceries and other items from stores.

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Personal Vehicles:

• Keep a spare pair of gloves, mask, and a bottle of hand sanitizer in your vehicle.
• Open the windows to improve ventilation.
• Limit the number of people in your vehicle.
• Do not have those aside from immediate family inside your vehicle.
• Wipe down available surfaces in your vehicle daily.

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Doctors’ Visits:

• Use telemedicine if possible.
• Communicate with medical staff by email or phone when possible.
• When visiting a doctors’ office/hospital know the proper precautions to stay safe.
• While in a doctors’ office/hospital wear a mask and gloves and social distance.
• If you or your child has Covid-19 symptoms, contact your doctors’ office ahead of time to discuss the proper handling of the situation.

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Pharmacy:

• Avoid direct trips to the pharmacy.
• Use the Drive-thru when possible.
• If possible, have medications and prescriptions delivered to your home.

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Parenting a special needs child during the COVID pandemic

Special Needs Resource Directory

Helpful Special Needs Organizations

Special Needs/Autism

Keeping Your Child Healthy, Active, and Entertained:

• Encourage your child to video chat with friends and family.
• If possible, go on walks with your child or allow them to play in the backyard.
• Encourage your child to use resources for social and emotional learning:

Casel
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Distant Learning for Special Education
Scholastic – Learn at Home for Families

• Encourage your child to eat healthy.
• Make sure your child gets at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
• Keep your child active with fun and educational tunes:

Alphabet Songs
Sesame Street Morning Meeting

• Children love being read to! Here are some links to recorded children’s book readings:

Books Read Online

• Fun activity ideas for you and your child:

Happy Hooligans
I Heart Crafty Things

• Additional Resources for Medically Fragile, Injured, and Special Needs Children:

Symbaloo

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Shopping in Stores:

• Use contactless methods of payment when applicable.
• If you ride in another’s vehicle, wear a mask and gloves. After, wash your hands as soon as possible.
• Avoid riding in a vehicle that is not your own.

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Travel and Outings: (What Does a Family Outing with a Medically Fragile Child Look Like Now?)

• Limit Travel, especially for those with underlying health issues.
• Do not travel outside of the United States now.
• After traveling to a state with rising COVID-19 cases, quarantine yourself.
• Do not share bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. with friends.
• Avoid eating inside restaurants, order takeout instead.

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Helpful Articles:

Pandemic Pushes Parents Of Kids With Special Needs To Breaking Point

ChildMind: Talking To Kids About the Coronavirus Crisis

Clay Center for Young Health Minds: 7 Ways to Support Kids and Teens Through the Corona Virus Pandemic

Unicef article: Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health During Covid-19

 NYU Article: Checking Your Teenagers Mood During Covid-19

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