When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, no one expected the cancelation of support programs and school closures. For families with teens living with autism, the pandemic is especially difficult for these teens as their routines are disrupted, leading to changes in behavior. Many families found themselves with few resources to help with autism support.
At Camp Worth, our autism therapy programs can help your son or daughter relearn crucial social skills and other coping tools to help avoid negative behavior. As we begin to emerge into a post-pandemic world, learn how to help your teen adjust to the upcoming changes. Give one of our therapists a call at 855.915.2545 to schedule an appointment and learn more about what you can do to prepare for a return to normal.
Autism and the Pandemic
Routines are essential for those living with autism. They provide structure, predictability, keeps the teen more engaged, and reduces unwanted behavior. The abrupt change to their routine that the pandemic caused can create stress and confusion. Sudden changes to a routine can lead to your child shutting down and unable to process what’s going on around them. All of these factors create the potential for more negative behavior and meltdowns.
You can mitigate some of these behaviors by remaining calm and working with your teen so that they can process the new changes. If your teen is frightened or stressed, they may not communicate or understand you. Stay with them until they are calm and able to respond and process.
Stay Calm and Provide Structure
As a parent of a child with autism, the key is to remain patient and calm when there is a change in their routine. If you are frantic and upset, that will only make your son or daughter feel frantic and upset too. Find a way to bring up going back to school or other autism therapy programs. Plan ahead of time and prepare your teen for the upcoming changes as pandemic restrictions begin to ease.
Keep Your Teen Active
Physical and mental activities are essential for your teen to help decrease aggression, hyperactivity, and weight gain. For example, bear crawls and arm circles are great physical activities, and puzzles make for great mental exercise.
Autism Therapy Programs Enhance Social Skills
If your child is more introverted, they may prefer being away from social environments, while the more extroverted will have a hard time being away from their friends. In either case, your teen will need help adjusting to the new changes that will happen once the pandemic is over.
At Camp Worth, we want to help your teen with our autism therapy programs to help with their social skills and adapting to new changes in their routine, including:
- Counseling and behavior analysis
- Social skills groups
- Functional skills training
- Family counseling
- Functional communication training
We can help you and your child re-enter society in a safe and caring environment. Our behavioral therapists will work with your teen to make sure they feel safe in new social settings and help relearn coping skills to help control negative behavior.
Also, our parent training program is available for parents to better prepare for the upcoming changes.
Ease Your Teen Back into a Post-Pandemic World with Support from Camp Worth
We are all eager to get back out into social settings and enjoy spending time with our friends. For your teen living with autism, getting back out into the world can be a challenge if they are not prepared. Our autism therapy programs can help your teen at Camp Worth as classes and programs begin to open up.
Call 855.915.2545 to speak with our behavioral therapists about giving your teenage son or daughter the help they need for easing back into their old routine by enrolling them in our autism therapy programs today. Reach out to Camp Worth for autism support today.
