Few of us could have imagined the strain that a lockdown would have on our mental and physical states. For the students at The New England Center for Children (NECC) in Southborough, most of whom have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), this was a period of continuous challenge, adjustment, and growth. As the world around them shifted in unpredictable ways, a new sense of courage developed.
The global pandemic left the ASD community significantly more vulnerable without the adequate educational, behavioral, and health services needed to maintain a stable routine. As a result of these large and impactful changes to society — everything from the constant influx of new information and changing protocols for social-distancing and hygienic practices — children with ASD and their caregivers were susceptible to an increase in anxiety. Access to proper health care services has been a challenge, exacerbated by the shift from in-person treatment to telehealth. Children with ASD require extensive care that might not be able to be met through Zoom or any other form of electronic communication. They may find it difficult to communicate or express symptoms of COVID-19 as well as any emotional discomfort they could be undergoing.
This past year has seen routines shattered. "All people benefit from routines," says Kendra O’Connor, a special educator and former employee at NECC, "but it was especially hard on children with ASD who rely on routines for comfort." Sudden changes to a learner’s routine can be very difficult and anxiety inducing. The students are "unique in presentation and interests" therefore, special educators aim to cater to their strengths, development, behavior, and education plan. According to Kendra, the pandemic provided new methods of learning and adaptability through the recreation of academic settings. "In my experience, we’re really flexible and we’re able to accommodate and make similar safe educational spaces outside of our traditional classrooms," says Kendra. Through the encouragement of self-advocacy and student-centered lesson plans, special educators like Kendra were able to regain a semblance of routine for their students despite the challenges they’ve faced. In the midst of adversity, Kendra notes that "people always rise to the occasion" in admiration of her former colleagues and students who made the best out of a difficult situation.
"I love NECC, I'd fight a war for those guys"
- Jeffrey Howe, parent of a child at NECC
The challenges of the pandemic extended beyond the walls of NECC to the caregivers and family members who were placed in uneasy situations centered around the health and wellbeing of their children and relatives.
"My son had COVID... [he] was pretty sick," says Jeffrey Howe, whose 15-year-old son, Finn, is a resident at one of NECC’s living facilities. "When your kid is sick, you desperately want to be with them. And so, to not be able to be with your child when they’re sick… that was really rough."
For Howe, not having access to his son during the lockdown was especially difficult. "It’s just really hard to have your child boarding away from you" he explains. Throughout this time, Howe was forced to rely on Skype to communicate with his son because families weren’t able to enter or visit the residences for during 3½ months of extreme lockdown measures.
When quarantine ended in the fall of 2020, Howe made it a point to revisit the previous routines he and his family had curated to fit his son’s likes and interests. During their weekly visits, Howe would aim to provide Finn with a pleasurable day which usually includes keeping a sequence of events in the same order to maximize the positivity of the day.
"We do things that are sort of set procedures for how his day is going to go and what we’re going to introduce him to because otherwise he gets scared. It freaks him out. It makes him feel unsafe" says Howe. By repeating the same steps within an interaction, comfort and safety is established.
"Neurotypical people are much better adapted to these sorts of sudden changes in ways that many autistic people are not" adds Howe. By changing our behavior patterns or social systems, Howe believes that we can better "accommodate [for] this population simply because we value them as people and we want them to be happy and have a place in this world with us."
With the support and guidance of their community, family and educators, the students at NECC were able to overcome the hardships of the pandemic while acquiring new social skills, furthering their education and development and even creating moments of triumphant.
