News and Knowledge

COVID-19 has caused all of us to adapt to a new normal. People are coping as best they can to the need to stay at home and keep a safe social distance. This new normal can be particularly difficult for families that include children with autism who are uniquely vulnerable to the disruptions caused by COVID-19.

With school closures and limited access to services, families may find it difficult to establish routines at home. To help, OAR has put together a list of resources that cover a range of topics, including health, wellness, education, and personal finance. The resources answer important questions, such as:

• What do I need to know about the coronavirus?
• How do I explain the coronavirus to my child with autism?
• What are some strategies I can teach my child to stay calm?
• How do I build and maintain new routines at home for my child?
• How do I teach critical safety skills to my non-verbal child?
• What educational activities can I teach my child at home?
• How do I financially protect my family from the impact of the coronavirus?
• How has the coronavirus affected people across the world?

We hope that these resources will lessen the challenges the pandemic has created. OAR will continue to update the list with relevant and reputable resources as they become available.

Understanding the Research

With the pandemic has come another menace — false and misleading information about COVID-19. According to Politico, about a third of people who use social media and messaging apps have seen information that is untrue or inaccurate. Learning to read information we find online is more critical than ever.

For many of us in the autism community, that means learning to understand research studies. OAR’s Life Journey Through Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Research serves as a research primer for parents interested in becoming savvy consumers of research information. Parents will learn common terminology found in autism research, identify different types of research studies, evaluate studies using a guiding framework, and more.

The guide is available as a PDF, ebook, and paperback. If you have questions or require additional supports surrounding the coronavirus, please contact OAR at oar@researchautism.org.