Anxious children - how to help them deal with what's going on?

[TakeMeOn]

Are anyone elses children struggling at the moment? My DD is 5 and has asd. I've tried to keep things as normal as possible and stick to a routine but she's so sensitive.

I'm most worried at the thought of stricter rules coming. I spent this week convincing her it was safe to come with me for a walk and once I got her out in the fresh air she was the happiest and relaxed I've seen her in weeks. I don't want to lose that.

Anyone going through anything similar? She doesn't want to play, doesn't want to bake things with me or do any kind of crafts, no school work. I've been trying to do Joe wicks, she gets angry about that. There were two days where she refused to get out of bed and I thought she was ill (she kept saying her tummy hurt) so let her stay in our bed watching TV for two days until I realised it was just her mood. She has no motivation, she's excessively blinking all the time, crying easily, getting angry over little things. She has been better since I got her to go for a walk but she was scared to leave the house at first "because of the virus", I got her out again today but she was just as reluctant to go and still is withdrawn and moody at home. Her appetite is down and her sleeping is bad. She's only five years old. And not doing any school work is worrying me as well but much less than everything else.

Mine is a little bit older - a very young-natured just-7 but she was getting quite concerned (although still thinks the macaroni virus makes you do the macarena dance) and there was a very good video on the Playmobil social media feed explaining it all in child-appropriate language and DD2 loves Playmobil.

I took mine out of school before the closures came though as the changes to routine there to socially distance was really freaking them out for their normally safe, warm, cuddly school to suddenly have them at arm's length.

I think all of us young and old have had to come to terms with, and try to adjust to current events.
My 9yo has been anxious about leaving the house and extremely worried i am going to become sick.
Keep things calm and nurturing. Offer a few choices of favourite activities. Food wise, try to offer fave meals if possible.
School work if she is highly anxious, just let it go if you can.
Sleep....hmm things are tricky here. My son has needed to fall asleep next to me on the sofa then i have guided him upstairs.
Try to get out of the house every day if you can manage it.
You're doing great. But it's hard isn't it?!

Thank you both. It is hard. She's usually so happy but when she doesn't want to play or do things she usually enjoys, it's horrible. I feel she's too young to react this way. I've done my best to shield her from the news and tell her what I can in an age appropriate way, but she's just so sensitive. I'm finding it distressing seeing her mood like this, it's like she's depressed. And the blinking is really bad. I don't mention it in front of her, I don't want to make a thing out of it. I don't think she even knows she does it. She did behave a bit like this when she was 4, highly anxious, complained of tummy pains all the time, sleeping went downhill etc and she did the blinking but it wasn't quite so bad back then. She still played and things as long as she wasn't in eyesight of anything she thought was a chemical. (Her fear at the time was of chemicals).

Thanks for sharing about your son's sleep niffler. I am sorry he's finding it a struggle too but it's reassuring to know we aren't the only ones in this position.

Kuponut I will look for that Playmobil thing you mentioned. Thank you.

School work is on my mind too as she's already quite behind compared to her class. I read to her a lot and try to get her to practice her writing at home, but since this started she's really refusing to do anything. I don't want her to fall more behind. I will focus on getting her mood up/anxiety down first though, and just try to get small bits of school work in here and there.

@TakeMeOn ((Hugs)) It's really hard. I think most kids are more aware of what is going on than us parents realise.
As I have done with my son, emotional/mental health takes priority over school work.
My son also reacts to and mirrors my own anxiety levels so I try to stay as chilled as possible, which is easier said than done! 😖

Yeah I am trying to stay happy and calm all the time in front of her but it's not easy is it! The not sleeping is hard too because you don't get much alone time. She's never been a great sleeper but at least there was school/work so there was a bit of breathing space.

She's usually asleep by about 9/9.30 which I know is late for her age but it's how she's always been. At the moment it's more like 11/12. Then I end up staying up later because I just want a bit of time to myself otherwise I'll go mad.

💐🙌 From one special needs mum to another you're doing great! 😊