Studies have shown that this pandemic can and will have a negative effect on children’s social emotional well-being. Not only has it increased stress and anxiety for a lot of children, but it has also created significant social isolation. Children thrive on schedules, consistency, routine, and positive social interactions and the pandemic has taken these things away from them. The “unknown” that the pandemic has created can heighten anxiety in children and may even play a role in long-term mental health issues. It is important that we provide all children with the internal and external support that they need during this time.
What to look for?
Some signs and symptoms of Anxiety and Depression:
Being afraid when away from parents
Having extreme fear about specific things or situations
Being afraid of going out (social phobias)
Being very worried about future events
Having repeated episodes of intense fear
Feeling sad, hopeless, or irritable a lot of the time
Not wanting to engage in fun activities
Showing changes in sleeping and/or eating patterns
Having a hard time paying attention
Feeling worthless, useless, or guilty
Showing self-injurious and self-destructive behavior
What can outpatient speech and occupational therapy at Aveanna Healthcare do for these children?
Provide an outside resource for children to talk to a professional trained in social emotional well-being
Give children the tools to help cope and self-regulate when feeling the negative effects of the pandemic
Educate parents on how to facilitate positive social emotional skills in order to carry over at home, school, and in the community
Teach pragmatic skills for face-to-face interactions as well as virtual/online interactions with peers, family members, teachers, and other professionals
Provide high-quality peer/social interaction through our Social Emotional Peer Interactive Experiences (PIE’s) *See handout*
Information provided by cdc.gov (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and nichq.org (National Institute for Children’s Health Quality)
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