Visit our COVID-19 homepage for additional topics.
This is nothing any of us have been through before. A scary new disease, changes to everyday routine – it’s a lot for all of us to digest. Help your child understand what is going on with suggestions:
- Speak calmly. Be reassuring. Provide information geared to your child’s age and understanding level.
- Focus on helping your child feel safe. Be honest, but keep news stories in context.
- Positively frame the situation: by working together we can keep more people from getting sick.
- Let them know it’s normal to feel stressed out sometimes.
- Keep the conversation going, keep checking in.
Our staff have found these resources helpful:
COVID-19 Information By and For People with Disabilities from Green Mountain Self Advocates
COVID-19 Plain Language Glossary or Words to Know from Green Mountain Self Advocates
Coronavirus Social Story A social story is one way to prepare your child for an event that is otherwise unfamiliar or unexpected.
COVID-19 Information For People with Disabilities and Their Families from Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute, available in English and Spanish.
How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During Coronavirus tips from PBS Kids
Coronavirus Anxiety – Helpful Expert Tips and Resources helpful tips and strategies from mental health professionals
Support Individuals with ASD through Uncertain Times support strategies designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with autism
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty things you can do to take care of your mental health in the face of uncertainty
Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health and Emotional Wellness During the COVID-19 Outbreak from PACER Center
Michigan.gov/StayWell
Michigan.gov/StayWell offers resources for emotional distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Connect with emotional-support services without having to leave home.
Helping Children Through Grief and Loss
Supporting Individuals who are Deaf, Deaf Blind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) during COVID-19
Tips for Caregivers During COVID-19
Tips for Teens: Take Care of Your Mental Health
Crisis Text Line By texting the keyword RESTORE to 741741, Michigan residents can have a confidential text conversation with a crisis counselor.
