Mask-wearing in public is recommended (in many areas it’s a requirement!) to slow the spread of COVID-19. While we understand it’s not an option for everyone, we encourage anyone who is able to wear a mask to do so to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. For some people on the autism spectrum and for those dealing with specific health challenges, wearing a mask isn’t an option. That’s why it’s important for everyone who can follow this public health guideline to continue to do so.

The benefits of in-person learning include:

• Instructor-led teaching format delivered by trained special education teachers<\li>
• Learning in a setting that is familiar to your child
• Additional support provided by one-to-one aids or paraprofessionals
• Opportunities for socialization and extracurricular programs to help your child develop skills outside the classroom

The drawbacks of in-person learning include:

• The potential for the virus to spread
• The challenge of adapting to new routines, including health and safety requirements
• Your child may deal with challenges recognizing familiar faces due to wearing masks
• Disruption to learning routines if school closes again due to the pandemic
• Should COVID 19 develop on school campus, the potential for challenges in contact tracing

The benefits of e-learning include:

• In an ideal setup, your child will experience fewer distractions while learning
• The opportunity for your child to develop self-paced learning skills
• You’ll have the ability to motivate your child with rewards specific to their success
• There’s no obligation to teach certain policies or procedures
• Lower potential to contract COVID-19 at school due to reduced exposure

E-learning obstacles include:

• Fewer opportunities for socialization and extracurricular activities to help your child grow outside the classroom
• Getting your child to sufficiently engage in the remote learning experience consistently and enough to understand each lesson
• No access to professional support services to support your child’s learning needs

Learn how to keep yourself and your child on the right track at home with e-learning.

One of the first steps to getting your child ready for e-school is making sure they are set up for success – literally! Make sure they have a quiet area with minimal distractions so they can focus on their online lessons.

Establish routines as much as possible throughout the day so your child knows what to expect from their new learning experience. Consider ways to incorporate positive reinforcement to facilitate healthy routines and happy learning experiences.

If you’re wondering how to prepare for back to school in person this year, check out our tips for getting started.

Know what your school is doing to help prevent the spread of the virus. Do what you can to help your child prepare for what in-person school will be like this year. Practice wearing masks well in advance of the first day of school. In addition, have your child practice interacting with others following the school social-distancing rules to help them adjust to what it will be like to spend time with friends this year.

Make sure you’re spending time reviewing hand-washing routines and using hand sanitizer. Consider using stories or songs to reinforce these ideas.

Lastly, it’s important that your child is fully aware of the changes that they’ll see this year at school. Talk about the differences they’ll experience and be sure to reinforce that these are positive changes to keep them safe. Make sure they understand that there will still be a school routine and schedule, it will just look different than it did last year.