“Covid 19 is creating all kinds of challenges for everyone, not least for parents of children with ASD so this is our way of offering some additional support. Empower workshops and social events were a real lifeline for many of our parents and their children so we felt we needed to look at other ways to stay in touch with them.
“We asked parents what sort of help they needed and, our dedicated team of facilitators who come from a variety of backgrounds such as counselling, teaching and play therapy, responded by posting a series of short online clips covering a topics like Anxiety and ASD; tips for structure and routine; handwashing and social distancing; as well as some fun Maths and English activities.
She added that Empower also shares other relevant material with parents and so far the level of engagement and feedback parents has been very positive.
One of the facilitators is Nichola Burke, who lectures on the Foundation Degree in Counselling at Northern Regional College. Nichola has a teenage autistic son and posted a video giving her own personal insight to Managing Anxiety and ASD
“This is a very uncertain time for everyone and this can lead to stress which affects people in different ways. Some people may get hyper-vigilant, others could become hypo-vigilant or withdrawn. We all have a ‘window of tolerance’ and stress can push us beyond the edge of this so we need to understand the triggers and have coping strategies in place to help us to manage.
To access Empower’s online resources, go to www.facebook.com/empowerprojectlotteryfunded. To learn more about Empower and services and resources are available, call 028 9581 6852.