COVID-19 Through the Eyes of Autism

Amidst all the chaos from COVID-19, I find myself worrying most about my two middle sons-Mark (age 20) and Aaron (will turn 18 on 4-17-20). Mark and Aaron were both diagnosed with classic autism when they were two years old.

Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees. While there is currently no known single cause of autism, early diagnosis helps a person receive the support and services that they need, which can lead to a quality life filled with opportunity (autism-society.org). One of the supports that are put in place for those with autism is a consistent routine.

For Mark, we got our first good look at what a lack of routine can do as he trudged through his senior year of high school. He knew that after graduation in May 2018, he would no longer go to school every day like he did since he was three years old, and that anxiety became very overpowering for him as the year went on. Now, Mark’s routine has consisted of coming to the store with me each day and even attending some of the meetings for organizations I am involved with. For Aaron, school routine has definitely been a touching stone for him. On the first day of school each September, we often see a look of relief wash over his face when he sees the bus enter the driveway to take him to school.

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Enter COVID-19. Because Aaron autism is more severe and he is almost completely non-verbal, we don’t always know what he will understand about his surroundings. When school was first shut down earlier this month, we sat Aaron down and said to him that he will not be going back to school for a while because there was a bad virus going around that was making people very sick. In the almost two weeks he has been home we have seen the restlessness and not-so-great behaviors we usually see out of him towards the end of summer vacation. Thankfully, his teacher has dropped off puzzles and other sensory items for him to borrow during the shutdown to keep him occupied. She has also left educational material for him to work on, but it is mainly review. Aaron doesn’t get assigned homework, so materials won’t occupy him the way it will his peers.

My husband and I also explained to Mark that Gillett Handiworks will not be allowed to be open until April 24th because of COVID-19, and how the government wants people to stay home so they don’t get sick. Even though Mark’s no longer in school, he does have ways to stay busy at home, but it is obviously not the same for him. He had a sad look on his face when we broke the news to him, and despite our explanation has been asking if he’s going to Gillett Handiworks in the morning. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to believe that the order is true.

What makes this pandemic even more difficult is the uncertainty of it all. The world has not dealt with a crisis like this in the lifetime of the current population, so we are all learning as we go. That, and there’s no deadline to this thing. We can’t comfort ourselves and others with “We just have to deal with this until ____, and then everything can go back to normal”. In the meantime, I think we will only get through this by turning to God, and each other. ‘Every man for himself’ isn’t going to end this-not by a long shot.

I wanted to close by thanking all that are working to keep things going: medical personnel, law enforcement, truck drivers, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and all essential businesses and employees! Your perseverance will make these coming weeks easier to endure!

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