The Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities is thinking of you at this very difficult time. We continue to be available to support our CCSN families through this period, and are available for virtual visits (phone or video platforms) to help develop plans of actions around challenges that may be unique to your family. Please call 617-636-7242 to schedule a follow up visit with your provider.
Autism Centers Unite
In this stressful time, when schedules have been uprooted with very little notice, a number of Autism Health Providers across Massachusetts have joined forces to work collaboratively across institutions to share resources that could be of use to you at this time. We hope the following resources may be of help to your family. We hope that you will share content that you have found helpful to others in your community who could also benefit from it. We will be updating this list regularly as new resources become available.
Home Based Services
- Community and Home Based Services during the COVID Pandemic. This MassHealth link shares information about what people are doing when they were supposed to get services in the home or in the clinic. Many services are now offered via telephone or telehealth (videoconferencing). This link will help you learn about what your providers are doing locally. It changes day by day!
- View the CBHI services during COVID-19
Educational Resources
- Special Education and COVID 19- weekly chat series from the Mass Advocates for Children (English and Spanish)- This link is useful for learning about your child’s educational rights, especially if your child receives special education services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP): Mass Advocates for Children has special programs related to Autism, CLSP, Racial Equity in Education, School Discipline Reform, Special Education, Trauma and Learning. Additional information related to COVID is now also available.
- Frequently asked questions regarding Special Education Services and COVID- The Federation for Children with Special Needs is a very important resource for any family who has a child with special needs. This link focuses on common questions that parents ask about their child’s educational services. But check it out for more! The federation offers a broad range of tips, strategies, and information.
- The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of Massachusetts (DESE) provides valuable information to educators, students, and their families. Special pages are now dedicated to issues related to COVID (click on the COVID link), such as school closures and “taking learning home.”
- Additional agencies that may be of help in learning about COVID related topics:
- Mass Gov.
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Remote Learning and Activity Resources
Activities and learning resources listed by age that may help you in planning educational and interesting learning opportunities that your child may enjoy at home.
View remote learning resources >
Social/Emotional Resources for You and Your Child
- Speaking with your child about COVID-19- We are all feeling stressed out these days, now that our daily lives have been so disrupted. This document shares some ideas for how to speak with your child about COVID. View our Fact Sheet >
- Common Reactions to Stress: Don’t think that you are alone with your stress! We are all stressed! As a parent, it’s especially important for you to manage your own stress before your try to manage your child’s stress. This resource shares some ideas that you can use to take time out to manage your own stress. You’ll also enjoy tips and strategies for talking with your child about Coronavirus.
- 10 tips to make life at home feel normal. How do you you’re your life normal when life is not so normal? View our tips >
- Social Story on Social Distancing. Social stories consist of a set of pictures that help children understand the daily routine, new activities, or (in this case) a new life situation such as Coronavirus. You can use these pictures to help your young child make sense of the changes due to COVID. You will also find this social story useful if your child has learning difficulties and needs pictures to help deepen her or his understanding.
- Supportive Parenting tips (parenting resources, virtual field trips, activity ideas, COVID multi-lingual guide. One of the recommendations that clinicians always make to parents during this time is to “have a schedule” and “do activities with your child” But what should that look like? This link shares ideas about activities that can help you keep your child busy during the day:
- Helping your Child With Learning Disabilities- View our resources >
Resources Supporting Individuals with Autism and/or Disabilities during Periods of Stress
- Social Stories, Calming Routines, Activity Choice Boards, Daily Task Organizers, Transition Help. This link shares valuable pictures that you can use for teaching your child about the daily routine, about new events or situations. The pictures include words, in different languages, for example, English, Spanish, Polish, Swedish, Japanese, Arabic, Mandarin, Italian, Chinese:
- Virtual Support Groups
- Skill-Building with Your Children using an ABA framework: This excellent resource provides a comprehensive set of lesson plans and short videos that you can use to help teach your child specific skills. In fact, you will find many of these lesson plans useful for many children who are still mastering early-emerging skills.
Resources Supporting Young Children with disabilities and all children when a family member or loved one is hospitalized due to COVID
Child Life Staff at Tufts Medical Center Explain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Tufts Medical Center developed two videos to help children understand what happens when a family member or loved one has to come to the hospital for treatment of Coronavirus. The first video was created for when the loved one is a child. The second video was created for when the loved one is an adult.
