Have the meltdowns started yet?

While I know it appears that we are early on in this process, it seems that when people are told they can’t do the things that we generally take for granted, we can get a little cooky.  Add a bit of extra worry about getting sick and a pinch of scarcity mentality and now we have a good recipe starter for a meltdown. At a minimum, many of our heads are spinning with lots of information and trying to figure out how much to prepare given your family circumstances. 

My mini-meltdowns come and go mixed in with trying to stay grounded and present for my family and friends. My kids have both shared their concerns at separate times over the weekend.  I appreciate their openness and willingness to share what they are thinking. It is important to create a safe space for everyone to share their concerns in an appropriate way given the ages of everyone involved.  I think this is also a time to enlist support. Over the years of raising my children and working with students, I have often thought of myself as a “General Contractor” for their needs. Part of the process is figuring out what the needs are, then determining if I have the skill set and/or bandwidth to meet those needs and then if not, where can I get a resource to help.  

Tip #2  Get Help!!

Now that you have created an outline of a schedule, you need to see where you can get help filling up those time slots. Check in with school and your child’s teachers.  Who is your child already working with? Is there an occupational therapist (OT), a physical therapist (PT), a speech therapist (SPL), a behavioral therapist (BCBA), and/or a classroom or special education teacher?  These are the people to check in with to understand what skills they have been working on with your child. Ask them what you may be able to do at home to help keep up those skills and keep them from regressing. Are any of these educators offering to meet online? If not, maybe you can find an online tutor or create a cooperative with other parents to set up an online homeschooling circle. Another important thing to think about is connecting to a mental health professional (psychologist, clinical social worker, psychological nurse practitioner, or other counselor).  Is there a school psychologist or counselor that your child has already been working with that you can tap into? Or perhaps this is a new area that you may want to consider. There are many therapists using remote technology to meet with their clients especially during this time. There are also online mental health resources such as TalkSpace and BetterHelp that you can connect to.  

Once you get some of this skill work and lesson ideas from the resources you already have, you can plug them into time slots where you can work on these specific skills directly with your child  or connect with resources remotely. Perhaps there is a family member or a friend that you can share this with even if it is via Skype or FaceTime. Also, remember to consider your own support as well!! Maybe there is a FaceBook Group or an online support group you can connect to.  Think about creating your own network of friends and family you can connect with on a regular basis. I personally have a WhatsApp group, a couple of FaceBook groups, and a couple of family/friend chat groups that I am in where I communicate regularly to connect with other people who can relate to my life experiences. It is ok to ask for help and have people where you can feel safe to share.