How We Managed Lockdown With A Child With Autism

It’s been ten long weeks since Ireland went into lockdown. Although the situation is far from over, seeing the number of cases of COVID-19 dropping and restrictions easing as our country gradually begins to reopen gives us all a little hope.

Personally, our family and friends have been keeping in touch, concerned about how we are managing with Sebastian, and they are quite surprised to hear that we are doing quite well overall.

At the beginning of the restrictions, Sebastian did struggle with the sudden and extreme changes to our routine. It was difficult for everyone, but particularly for people with autism, who tend to rely on their routines and structure so much.

After the first two weeks, we gradually developed a new routine. Here are the three things we did to make lockdown more manageable for him (and us!).

1. We created a new routine, and we stuck to it!

Children with autism thrive on routine. For Sebastian, routine works like magic. If he is not feeling well and starts whining and complaining, be sure that it’s because something is not going according to our usual plan.

It’s easy to become demotivated. With the usual routine gone, there is no need to hurry in the morning to get up and ready by 8:30 a.m., although having a routine and sticking to it is the best thing you can do for a child with autism.

The first thing we did was create new visual schedules. Sebastian can read, so we have calendars and write daily and weekly plans. If a child is not reading yet, a visual schedule with pictures or symbols is the best option. Board Maker is an online resource for creating visual supports, and you can try it out for a month for free.

2. We created new special days.

Before the lockdown, each day of the week was different. Some days, the kids had PE in school, other days, we had piano lessons, and occasionally, as a treat, we would go to the local cafe—each day, we did something different.

Now, however, days are rolling into each other and feel the same. Every night, Sebastian asks me, "Mum, what are we doing tomorrow?" I am tempted to answer, "The same as today, my love," but I quickly come up with something. Even if it is, we’ll do some baking, just to make the next day seem special and a little different.

After a while, we decided to have a weekly schedule, just as we did before. This way, we have something to look forward to, without having to come up with new things to do every day.

We do simple things like taking a long walk on Mondays, taking a virtual piano class on Tuesdays, having pizza on Wednesday, watching a family movie on Thursday, etc. We created a new weekly routine that gives structure to our days.

3. We are flexible

I’m going to contradict myself here! I’ve just spoken at length about how important structure is and how crucial it is to stick to your routine, but it’s ok to change plans too!

Some days, for whatever reason, my children can have a hard time. Sometimes it’s small things, like being unable to go to the shops. At other times, they may have more significant worries, such as not being able to see their grandparents or being fearful about this mysterious virus. This situation is challenging for all of us. We must look after our physical and mental health, and the same applies to children. I am more flexible with the kids when I see that they are having a bad day. On those days, we talk about how we feel and look for something to make us feel better. We might make a cup of hot chocolate, cuddle under a big blanket, and watch a funny movie.

The nice weather and the longer days will hopefully make lockdown with children more manageable from now on. What have you done to support children with autism during this time? I’d love to hear from you!