Although this has been written for parents and carers of children of ASD and ADHD it has great advice for all parents.

How to help children with autism (ASD) or ADHD whilst being schooled at home

The ‘school’ day:

  • Create a daily timetable and stick to this– ideally do this with the child so they have some control over this (but if they would struggle with this you can have a rough idea yourself) – make it visual, you can draw it out together. Try doing a less fun thing followed by a fun thing and mixing practical activities with less practical.  Use Now and Next to support understanding for children who couldn’t cope with seeing/knowing a full daily timetable.
  • Activity/lesson times should be based on YOUR child and what you know about them – if they can concentrate for an hour then do hour slots, but if it is only 10/15 minutes then do activity/lesson slots for this long and then have a break for 10/15 minutes. Your ‘school day’ might be 10 until 2/3ish because this is what your child needs, it does not have to be a ‘traditional’ school day during these isolation weeks.
  • Be mindful of things they struggle with – if they find reading/maths hard then lots of praise doing it, do it together (e.g. you read a line in a book, then they do) – don’t force it if it is going to cause challenging behaviour.
  • Meltdowns or challenging behaviours are very likely to be down to underlying anxiety or struggling to contain difficult emotions – help your child regulate themselves or do what you know helps them to manage emotions. They might just need to ‘zone out’ doing a favoured tasks for 30 mins or so e.g. watching you tube videos of interest etc (make it clear this has a time limit and use a visual to support time understanding) or they might just need a hug.
  • For children with ASD/ADHD build in regular sensory regulating slots – these will be dependent on your own children’s sensory needs and if they are sensory seeking/avoiding etc – see your own child’s occupational therapy report if you have one. If not, you might be able to get an idea of what your child struggles with/needs from reading: https://funandfunction.com/blog/solutions-for-7-types-of-sensory-needs
  • The Brain Works app by sensational brain is really good and allows you to pick how you are feeling (too slow/too fast/just right), say where you are (home/school/outside etc.) and then it suggests activities.
  • You could have a themed day e.g. one Monday the theme is ‘Weather’ and you do activities based around Weather related things e.g. read a book about rainbows, do some drawings about weather, research different climate. For children with ASD who you are struggling to engage using their areas of interest can help engage them. For example – if a child’s strong interest is Pokémon – art lesson drawing Pokémon’s, writing a story about them, reading a Pokémon book or something online, research and do a presentation or project on favourite Pokémon.

General tips

  • Children with autism/ADHD are often developmentally delayed. For example, a child who is 13 and has autism and no learning disability might be functioning as a 13 year old in lots of their physical skills but their social and emotional skills might be more functioning at age 8.  It is important to make sure things you are asking of your child are in line with their DEVELOPMENTAL skill levels, not their chronological age.
  • For children with ADHD try and build lots of practical activities into their day e.g. acting out a story as they read it, doing hopscotch maths, treasure hunts. Where possible and safe outdoor time to burn energy and support internal regulation.  This might need to be structured by parents e.g. assault course, races.
  • When engaging in activities/’lessons’ ensure the environment is quiet and free from other distractions – TV off, other electronics off, use of ear defenders if needed to aid concentration
  • If your child is more motivated by technology and you have access to a computer try making some of the activities/lessons computer based e.g. typing a story, doing a powerpoint etc.
  • There are social stories online to support explaining Coronavirus etc to children – they may need adapting based on your child, their ability etc

https://littlepuddins.ie/coronavirus-social-story/

https://carolgraysocialstories.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pandemics-and-the-Coronavirus.pdf

Mencap easy read information about Coronavirus

https://www.mencap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-03/Information%20about%20Coronavirus%20ER%20UPDATED%20130320%20SD%20editsAH.pdf

  • For children with ADHD particularly, but also ASD, do not be afraid to use ‘out of the box’ ideas to engage them in activities/lessons. Some children might also need a reason for doing something and they will refuse if they do not understand why they are doing something.  For example, …
  • It is ok to use some activity/lesson slots to support children to develop ‘real life’ skills e.g. making a sandwich, budgeting, doing laundry, learning how to clean.
  • Be mindful of your language use – keep it simple, write down list of simple instructions for children who struggle with their concentration and memory. For children with ASD in particular use clear and concrete language and avoid sarcasm, abstract language and ideas and language which is not clear.

Free educational websites

  • Look on the school’s website. The children have plenty of resources assigned each day.
  • Audible has made lots of audiobooks free.

A google search of free educational resources / free education resources coronavirus comes up with lots of things which can be accessed.

Another website for advice:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/

Most importantly don’t put pressure on yourself or your child!