You may have seen these in other places but they are a great tool. There is a lot of information in these social stories and it’s worth taking the time to revisit these with your autistic /ADHD children, but they are useful for kids without autism /ADHD too!
Carol Gray, founder of Social Stories.
What we all going through is huge, and will take a while for our younger humans to process this.
Take each point slowly and calmly, using a reassuring tone. Remind your kids that you are there for them and will answer any questions they may have. They may not even be able to formulate the questions, so take it slowly and repeat. Sit somewhere quietly together, snuggle up, arm around them.
For some of the ‘older’/ younger ones these sudden changes may seem quite overwhelming – think about it, no school no friends, a scary invisible virus, everyone at home, worries about shopping and food, whether they will catch the virus, whether you will…it probably feels as bad as any nightmare to them, so take time and be gentle. What you say and how you react will stay with them long after the virus.
When you’ve done, perhaps read a familiar, comforting book or watch a video together that’s calming, funny, uplifting. Escapism is sometimes the best remedy. Please pass on if you think this would be helpful and take care, Suzy x