ASF Resources - Autism and COVID-19

We are in the middle of an unprecedented time in our lives, and ASF wants to do whatever it can to help the entire autism community during the crisis.  That includes providing support to both the scientific community, and the parent and self advocate community.

We have compiled this list of resources and will update it frequently. Please make sure to check back on our website for updated resources here.


Managing Your Child's Education and Free Time

The Department of Education has published a Q&A focused on providing services to children with disabilities during the coronavirus outbreak, which can be downloaded  here.

The National Council on Severe Autism has created an online event for parents and caregivers to share stories, concerns, advice, and questions. Their guest commentators Lee Wachtel, MD, Medical Director, Neurobehavioral Unit, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Alycia Halladay, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Autism Science Foundation, joined NCSA President Jill Escher and Vice President Feda Almaliti in leading the discussion. Topics included everything from hand washing to mommy guilt during this time. You can view the recorded  video here.

The Center for Discovery has shared great ideas for indoor and outdoor activities for families in the time of coronavirus. Click  here to view.

The  National Autism Association has put together an excellent list of resources including teaching tools for kids, tips for caregivers and how to practice social distancing. Click  here for their list.

Interested in taking a field trip without leaving the house?  Click here to take a virtual tour of famous museums around the world and  here for a virtual field trip lesson plan.

Hand Washing
The University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism & Relations Disabilities curated a fantastic list of resources such as social stories and visual tools for those working with individuals who have developmental disabilities, including special educators, therapists and families can be downloaded  here and  here.

Tamika Cody from News10 in Tampa interviewed local experts about things you can do at home  with kids with autism during this challenging time, including dealing with playdates and boredom.

For a full list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closures,  click here.


Handling co-morbid conditions during the crisis:

Anxiety:
The Autism Science Foundation's most recent podcast, hosted by ASF CSO Dr. Alycia Halladay, has great tips for handling your child's crisis-related anxiety. You can listen here .

Epilepsy:
Infectious disease expert Dr. Stanley Plotkin says epilepsy does not increase the risk of contracting the coronavirus, nor does it add additional risk to someone who is diagnosed.

CURE hosted a  Facebook live stream on COVID-19 with neurologist Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, neuroimmunologist Dr. Michael Carrithers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and pediatric neurologist Dr. Douglas R. Nordli from UChicago Medicine.

The Epilepsy Foundation hosted a   Facebook live with Patty Osborne Shafer, RN, MN, Jacqueline French, MD and Elaine Wirrell, MD. A Facebook live in Spanish aired on Thursday, March 19, at 8 p.m. ET with Angel Hernandez, MD and Joe Sirven, MD who answered questions from their Spanish-speaking community.

DEE-P Connections, in conjunction with   International Foundation for CDKL5 Research-IFCR and Epilepsy Foundation of America , is pleased to invite you to join us for a webinar specifically geared towards our families. On March 19th, at 7PM ET, they will host a webinar "Protecting Medically Complex and/or Immune-Suppressed Children with Epilepsy from COVID-19." Please register in advance at:  https://www.deepconnections.net/upcoming-webinars


Medicaid rules, waivers and changes

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are  taking actions to allow more flexibility for healthcare providers,  including expanded telemedicine access, to provide services for those covered individuals.

The  Kaiser Family Foundation issued a  brief on how Medicaid can enhance state capacity to respond to COVID-19, including how they can broaden accessibility and coverage.

Coming Soon on the ASF blog:

BCBA Molly Reilly will share some basic tips and ideas for managing behavior while your child is quarantined. 

Autism Education Attorney Gary Mayerson will share information about how to work with your school district to ensure your child's IEP is being implemented appropriately.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Erin Lopes will provide guidance on what to do if your family member with autism is diagnosed with coronavirus and hospitalized. 


General Information:

The  Autism Society of America launched a  Facebook Live series dedicated to providing relevant, COVID-19 information for the autism community. The weekly broadcast will feature an expert discussing specific topics like mental health, federal emergency funding, and financial planning.

Autism Speaks has put together a comprehensive list of resources for the autism community organized by topic including for families, for educators and health professionals, non-english resources and WHO guidance for the public. Find the list  here.

Green Mountain self-advocates has written a social story about managing symptoms. You can find it  here.

Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (AFIRM) has published a  guide called Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times.


Do you have a resource you would like to share? Email us at  contactus@autismsciencefoundation.org

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