Small things can disrupt anyone's daily routines. From spilling coffee on your shirt in the morning, traffic during rush hour, or even adjusting to a one hour daylight savings time change can wreak havoc to your normalcy. This has been exacerbated for many special needs children and adults during the pandemic, and continues as pandemic restrictions are lifted.
Many individuals with cognitive disabilities rely heavily on structure and predictable routines to help them with independence during daily activities. As schools, day programs, and community activities were forced to close, routines were taken away abruptly. A lack of understanding why these changes were happening on top of limited social emotional and sensory regulation skills caused stress on many individuals and their families.
You may think that because your child wants the same snack every day that they are a picky eater, but have you considered that this may be a comforting choice in a world where so many things change often? During the pandemic everyone sought out forms of comfort including baking sourdough bread, doing a puzzle, watching TV, going for a walk outside, and wearing comfortable clothing.
As society adjusts to going back to "normal" routines, it may not be that simple for everyone. There may need to be an adjustment for individuals returning to programs, schools etc. It is important to listen to your loved ones concerns and anxieties.
Tips to ease the transition back to routines outside of the home include:
- Calling a staff member or teacher to talk with them over the phone or video chat to familiarize them with that person again
- Drive by the location or do a short visit where you go in to say hello and work your way up to how long they are there.
- Find a social game or start a conversation with flash cards:
- Pennsylvania Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations has hundreds of free resources for parents and caregivers of people with autism. A few that I recommend are:
Tools that can help with predicting routines:
Clocks and Timers:
- Time Tracker Mini
- Time Tracker (original)
- WatchMinder - vibrating watch
Visual Schedules: Use a written schedule for older kids and adults: Time Timer Dry Erase Board
Reward charts for positive reinforcement.
It's important to remember that just like learning styles (auditory, visual, motor, etc) are different for everyone, and so are sensory needs. They may even change or evolve for an individual overtime. An individual may prefer taking a warm bath for calming after school one day and want to read a story in a quiet space or tent instead the next.
Having multiple tools or a menu of options can empower individuals to fight through pandemic fatigue and help ease the transition for everyone as pandemic restrictions continue to change and lift.