Little did any of us imagine that we would every face a time such as this. With the Covid-19 pandemic threatening our way of life and our health it is impossible to imagine the concerns, fears and uncertainty parents with a special needs child must be experiencing. Even though there is very little you and I can do to change the times we live in we can still take control of our own lives by making good choices. Have you been worried about your child’s health? Are you deeply concerned about your child’s education? How is your child coping with feelings of isolation? If these have been your reality over the past few months I would like to assure you that you are not alone. By taking one step forward at a time I’m hoping that you will feel encouraged for your child’s well-being and future. The first step towards peace of mind is to change our perspective about what ‘C O V I D’ can mean for the child with special needs and his/her family. Firstly ‘C’ stands for your and my ‘creativity’ in how to make life meaningful, fun and educational for your child. Secondly the ‘O’ means that this new way of living has provided the chance for you and me to create development and learning ‘opportunities’ in and around the home. By creating opportunities for stimulation at home your child can access a ‘variety’ of fun developmental experiences. ‘I’ represents your devotion and care by being increasingly more ‘involved’ with your child’s progress and development. Last but not least the ‘D’ stands for how daily living should now be ‘differentiated’ (adapted) for the special needs child to be as involved as possible in all aspects of family life.
May Covid-19 therefor not be a time of dread for our special needs children but a time for Creating Opportunities to ensure a varied learning environment at home involving all family members and Differentiating activities to be fully part of all dimensions of family life.