COVID-19 AND AUTISM

What does the pandemic mean to someone with autism?

The pandemic has been extremely uncertain for us all. However, adjusting to a new routine and all of this change is extremely difficult for children and adults with autism, and other learning other disabilities.

In the UK, there are around 700,000 people on the autism spectrum. An additional 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability.  Children with autism may not completely understand the severity of the virus. They may find it difficult to follow the rules and adapting to home-schooling can be even more challenging. The media is very focused on only sharing specific content when it comes to the virus. Therefore, I thought it was important to share what the virus means to someone with autism and how it has affected them.

The pandemic has caused confusion, fear and anxiety and this is heightened for those with autism and other learning disabilities. During this time there has been an immense amount of sudden change. I interviewed my cousin Manav and his mum about how they have coped during this time.

Understanding the virus:

Manav, age 14, has autism and ADHD and so the pandemic has severely affected him. This has even caused a change in personality, due to the new feelings he has been experiencing. We know and can understand how severe coronavirus is, but I wanted to know what the virus meant to Manav. He said: “it’s a disease like spreading virus around and there are symptoms like cough, cold, smell and taste goes.” Manav has been spending his time at home watching the news and understanding the symptoms of coronavirus as well as the rules.

Thrown out of routine:

The pandemic resulted in schools shutting from March 20^th. Manav said “it was horrible, it was upsetting not seeing my friends” as he was thrown out of routine abruptly. He also spoke about how working from home is very difficult as they don’t have the same facilities that a special needs school provides.  Manav said: “I was feeling very sad and frustrated.”

Lack of Governmental support:

The Government hasn’t done much to help those with learning difficulties. Trusha, Manav’s mum explained that “they have done nothing at all”. An education health and care plan were established. This allowed Manav and others with learning disabilities to be able to go school. However, at this time, the number of deaths was extremely high. Many questioned about sending their children to school due to the high risk. Keeping children at home and in lockdown seemed like the safer option. During lockdown carers could come to the house but there was a lack of PPE at this time in March, so it was too risky to take advantage of this. After doing some research I have only found care packages online and advice which the government has provided. Therefore, the government should have provided more time to see how else they could have helped special needs children.

Struggles at home:

Although it has been hard being at home for all of us. Dealing with the frustration and uncertainty is more difficult for those with autism. Manav said: “I am very sad, the coronavirus has stopped everything like dancing, swimming, yoga, holidays, seeing my friends and family”. 

For Manav, not being able to socialise with people has been the hardest part of lockdown and dealing with the circumstances surrounding the virus. However, the best part has been the increased family time with Manav explaining that “spending more time with my mum and dad has been nice”. 

Going back to school:

In June, many schools reopened and Manav went in three times a week for a change of atmosphere. This helped to improve his mental health after being at home for so long. Before going back, guidelines were sent out, emphasising to students that “going back to school will be different”. It was important for students to understand that everyone couldn’t come to school every day. Markings were added to fence posts to help the children stay at a safe distance from each other. Hand gel was put in place for the children. Further rules were implemented to ensure that everyone kept washing their hands throughout the day.

It was also important for children to understand that they were not allowed to hug or be close to each other. This can be difficult for those with autism as autistic children love showing affection towards their peers. It is a lot of information for autistic children to digest and can be an overwhelming experience to settle again. 

Whilst at home, Manav’s school has also been very supportive. This was especially at times when Manav was feeling extremely low, thus more aid from the government would have been appreciated. 

Manav said: “I found the PPE scary; it is very different now and we have to wash our hands all of the time, wear mask and gloves, everything really is made me frustrated”. However, after going back to school, Manav has seen an improvement in his mental health, but with it now being the summer holidays, he can’t help but feel frustrated again.

From a mother’s perspective:

There have been meltdowns which is understandable as processing constant new information and conforming to new rules is hard to adjust to. Trusha explained that at the beginning it was a big struggle but Manav has been enjoying “chilling a lot, watching TV and sitting in the garden. Trusha and Raju said: “lockdown has made him irritable and it has been hard to stick to a new routine”.  Emotions have been heightened and she said that she has seen “a new Manav”. Although the changes in personality have been both good and bad, she is thankful to have had more time with him despite the challenges.

Thoughts for the future:

Dealing with the uncertainty is infuriating and Manav does have anxiety when it comes to seeing people with the new rules. Also remembering the small things like using soap when constantly washing his hands is irritating.

Despite this, he is “excited to go to school in September and make new friends” as this keeps his mind off of the virus. For all children with learning disabilities this time has been testing, but it has also been a time of reflection, where we have all learnt so much.