Coronavirus: when will it end?

Go straight to easy-read infographic designed for young people with learning disabilities.

Since March 2020 the Coronavirus pandemic has stolen so many of the things that we all love, including our ability to answer simple questions. We don't even know if we'll see grandma this Christmas, let alone when the Covid-19 restrictions will end. That's enough to make anyone feel out of control and overwhelmed. It's no wonder that so many of our children and young people with autism and learning difficulties are increasingly presenting with anxious behaviours and repetitive questions.

At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, education settings shut down and young people stayed home to stay safe. Parents and professionals supporting children with additional needs were reporting that, with social, learning and sensory demands reduced, they had never seen this cohort so relaxed and happy. But across the past couple of months some of us have been witnessing a significant re-escalation of challenging emotional behaviours.

Whilst helping agencies like Young Minds have done insightful work understanding and supporting the mental health needs of young adults during the pandemic, it's harder to find anything specific about why the mental wellbeing of some children and young people with additional needs is only now going so dramatically downhill. I am left trying to find my own answers.

I think I'm witnessing a delayed processing of the reality of the lockdown. It's taken longer for some people with learning disabilities to process what is missing. It's taken longer to ask, 'where have all the fun things gone? Where are my friends and family? Why can't anyone say when they will be back?' And, importantly, I think that the sense of loss and lack of control has now been compounded by the reopening of education settings. Why? Because although I initially imagined that returning to college would create a much-needed sense of 'getting back to normal,' I have to admit it is more complicated than that. College simply isn't like it was before. People everywhere are hiding their faces behind masks. Social distance is difficult to understand. Plus, there are 'bubbles,' and 'Covid-19 rules,' and damaging careless chatter overheard between strangers. For instance, and inexcusably, about how the virus kills elderly people like grandma and disabled people 'like me.'

To be honest, I'm struggling to know how to make a difference. I think perhaps that we all are. But I've made a start by creating an easy-read infographic that can be kept in a pocket, held in a hand or pinned to a wall. Something to provide constant reassurance that the virus will be beaten, things will be OK, and that life will go back to how it was before. I've created it with a particular young person in mind. Feel free to print it off just as it is, or to adapt the content for the person you care about.

When will Coronavirus end?

Note: I am not an expert. If you need further support, always seek professional advice. If you need signposting, consider contacting Contact, the charity supporting families with disabled children.