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, and 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, so school and other busy places are closed for now.
- 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:
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 By and For People with Disabilities (PDF) written in plain language by self-advocates
How You and Your Kids Can De-Stress During Coronavirus 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
Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty
Managing Problem Behavior at Home- A guide to more confident, consistent and effective parenting
Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health and Emotional Wellness During the COVID-19 Outbreak
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. Behavioral Health Guides:
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.
