Taking ACTion: 18 Simple Strategies for Supporting Children With Autism During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Keep the 18 ACT worksheets ready to email parents the moment in-person ABA pauses.
01Research in Context
What this study did
CHiggins et al. (2021) wrote a practice guide. It lists 18 ACT worksheets for parents of kids with autism.
Worksheets include ‘Values Star’ and ‘Finger-Breathing.’ They aim to ease pandemic stress when ABA stops.
No kids were tested. No data were taken. The paper is a grab-and-go toolkit.
What they found
The team did not measure results. They simply shared the 18 tools.
Parents can print the pages and use them right away.
How this fits with other research
Sergi et al. (2021) give hope. Italian toddlers kept their ABA gains during lockdown when parents coached them. CM’s ACT sheets can sit beside that parent coaching.
Tawankanjanachot et al. (2024) sound a warning. In their 2024 survey, 39 % of caregivers saw teen social skills drop even while they tried to help. The teens’ age and lost services may explain the gap, not the ACT tools.
van der Miesen et al. (2024) tie it together. Their 2024 review of eight studies shows ACT helps parents stay calm. Calm parents stick with routines, so the child benefits indirectly.
Why it matters
You now have a free, one-page set of ACT games to hand out when clinics close. Pair the sheets with quick parent-coaching calls and keep daily ABA kernels going. The combo can stop skills from sliding and support caregiver mental health at the same time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically uprooted the lives of families around the world. Families living with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be particularly affected due to being abruptly deprived of their usual in-person support from applied behavior analysis (ABA) service providers. This article gives how-to instructions on 18 simple acceptance and commitment training (ACT) programs that can be used as supplements to ongoing ABA services to support children with ASD whose verbal repertoires may play a part in the challenges they are facing during the current crisis. We describe several challenges that have been frequently reported by families and ABA practitioners during the pandemic. For each behavioral challenge, we provide a brief practical description, brief behavioral conceptual description, and how-to guidance on implementing ACT procedures that address each behavioral challenge at a functional level. The Appendix contains child-friendly worksheets for practitioners to use as visual supports while implementing the intervention procedures.
, 2021 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00448-5