Autism is a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact. It is a spectrum disorder that affects the nervous system and has an overall impact on the cognitive, emotional, social and physical health of the concerned individual. An autist child requires more gentleness, attention and sensitive handling and COVID is not making things any easier for them. To not be able to step out for their routine outings that makes it easy for them to adjust to the world, is pushing them back again in their minds; seeing masked people all around can upset them and so on.
Anuradha Gadgil, mother of an 8-year-old Ayesha who suffers from autism, expressed how difficult it was getting for her daughter to adjust with the pandemic circumstances, “COVID19 outbreak forced us to stay at home - at all times. Ayesha couldn’t go to her school and meet her counsellors. Her school is an important part of her progress since they teach her to handle her reactions and with no clue when things will be normal, I feel all that progress that she has made in the past few years will slip back into nothing.
Also, she used to get happy with my part-time cleaner, Sarita didi...Sarita was more like her buddy than our house helper. Ayesha was used to having her breakfast with Sarita sitting on the floor just like her. And now she frets when Sarita is not there. She throws her arms, and goes into these small fits where it becomes difficult for us to even feed her breakfast.
It is so difficult for Shreyash, my husband to spare time for Ayesha due to his own work commitments and I have to focus on the household chores. So it gets difficult for us to manage Ayesha’s school work. For my daughter, going to school was all about engaging with people, including her counsellors, as they would sit and make her do the studies or activities.
Making her wear mask is another ball game altogether. She feels stifled and claustrophobic and reacts very strongly to the mask. So, as a routine habit, all of us--me, Shreyash, and our full time helper, along with Ayesha, wear masks for 15 minutes everyday and sit on the dining table doing nothing...just letting her absorb the presence of masks and get familiar with everyone wearing mask and that she too wears it. But it is very exhausting.
For her sake, we are all trying to maintain her routine as is before school time--but when and if she remembers school, she becomes very upset and then has to be hugged tightly and held warmly till she calms down, but it is hard for my princess..”
It is important for parents of autistic children to stay enthusiastic and continue a routine similar to their earlier one so that the kids do not feel lost. Children also need to be engaged in activities that will calm them down. COVID is hard on parents because they need to put a lot of effort, pouring in their creativity to keep the children going on the same track as they were doing in school--and now without their counsellors or teachers being around to help them.