“When everything is uncertain, everything that is important becomes clear.” —Unknown
As the summer months come to a close, the back-to-school conversation begins. Backpacks, lunches, and meet-the-teacher night begin to take center stage.
This school year, similar to last, could feel a little different. You may find yourself asking questions similar to the ones mentioned in this TODAY article, Coronavirus in the Classroom: Experts Answer 27 Questions about Unvaccinated Kids. One word that may come to mind during this time: Uncertainty During the School Year.
The team at Constellation may not know all of the answers surrounding COVID-19 uncertainty, but we hope to provide you and your family with the tools and resources necessary to make this uncertain time a little bit easier.
Below are online resources that provide insight into this complicated and uncertain time.
Resources for Parents with Children Attending School
CDC Resources for Keeping your Children and Family Safe
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a great place to start when looking for updated safety recommendations. The CDC is recommending that everyone 12 years and older get vaccinated to help protect against COVID-19. Mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing are still considered the best practices for protecting everyone, especially those younger than 12 years of age, during the rise of the Delta variant.
If you have a child with special health care needs, we recommend reading this article by the American Academy of Pediatrics that discusses caring for children with special health care needs.
What to Expect at Your Child’s K-12 School or Early Care and Education Program
Fear of the unknown can make heading back to school, in a normal year, challenging. Add in a global pandemic and it becomes a bigger beast. Preparing yourself and your child for what the school year may have in store can make the unknown aspect a little less daunting. This article details some of the changes and implementations your school may be taking this year to keep you and your child safe.
Tools to Handle Back to School Anxiety
Most children are creatures of habit and do their best with a routine. Starting or going back to school can be an anxious time for some children. They can get anxious for lots of reasons, including the transition to a new grade, making friends, and being away from home. Anxiety in children can sometimes be tricky to spot. Understood.org teamed up with four experts to help parents understand why children may feel anxious about school, and how to help.
For children with autism and developmental disabilities, it is especially necessary to understand what anxiety can look like as it relates to school. In-home ABA therapy focuses on developing individual strengths and critical life skills that help children reach their full potential by reinforcing socially significant behaviors and promoting independence. Learn how home-based ABA therapy could benefit your entire family.
A nonprofit—The Child Mind Institute—has put together a great resource center filled with information to support children with developmental disabilities in the classroom and beyond.
Back to School Tips for Parents—an article written by Harold S. Koplewicz, MD on the Child Mind Institute website—focuses on sending children back to school who suffer from a mental health or learning disorder and provides six things every parent should know about starting school with a vulnerable child.
The Child Mind Institute also has a printable tip sheet to help set priorities for the school year. The tips are geared towards supporting all children, including those with special needs and learning styles.
This school year may look different, but with tools and resources, we can get through it together. Day by day, one step at a time.
Additional Resources:
7 Tips for a Parent of a Newly Diagnosed Child with Autism
3 Benefits of School-Based Therapy in the New Digital Era
3 Advantages of ABA Therapy for Children
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Constellation School Based Therapy & ABA has partnered with private and public schools, school districts, and early childhood development programs for over 20 years to provide evidence-based behavior, occupational, physical therapy solutions, and management consulting services in Connecticut.
We also offer in-home applied behavior analysis (ABA) in Connecticut and Houston, TX, as an evidence-based approach for autism treatment. Through our customized programming, we work with children to improve development and focus on expanding cognitive, language, and adaptive skills.
