The following is a list of websites, articles, and fact sheets which offer information about helping individuals with autism and related disabilities during a COVID-19 outbreak. This page will be updated periodically as the situation evolves and new resources are published.
GENERAL COVID-19 RESOURCES
| “How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect People with Autism and their Caregivers?” SPARK |
| “COVID-19 Resources for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Their Care Providers” US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
| “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary” US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
| “Coronavirus Resources” Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |
| “COVID-19 Information Clearinghouse” Massachusetts Advocates for Children |
| “Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak” World Health Organization |
| “Autism and COVID-19” Autism Science Foundation |
| “Coronavirus: Response & Resources” The Autism Society of America |
| “COVID-19 Information and Resources” Autism Speaks |
| “COVID-19 Resources for People With Disabilities, Families, and Service Providers” The Arc |
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES & CAREGIVERS
RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM
ADULT RESOURCES
EDUCATION RESOURCES
MEETING AAC NEEDS DURING COVID-19
| “Using an AAC Device at Home” The Center for AAC and Autism |
| “Practical ideas to address the Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) needs of Children with Disabilities during COVID-19” Kerry Davis EdD Spaulding Lexington for Children Massachusetts Advocates for Children |
PREPARING FOR A HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL VISIT
| “COVID-19 Coronavirus Testing Toolkit for People with ASD/IDD” Massachusetts General Hospital for Children |
| “Spanish COVID-19 Coronavirus Toolkit” Massachusetts General Hospital for Children |
| COVID-19: Simple COVID-19 Coronavirus Test (Social Story) Massachusetts General Hospital for Children |
| “My Hospital Planning Packet: Prepare for a hospital visit during the COVID-19 pandemic” Boston Children’s Hospital |
| “Disability COVID-19 Forms: Preparing Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities for Medical Treatment at Hospitals” Ballan, M. & Perri, C., Stony Brook University |
| “Health Care Passport” (A comprehensive health care briefing form that could accompany an individual with an intellectual and developmental disability to hospital) University of South Florida |
| “Preparing your child with autism for a hospital visit during COVID-19” Boston Children’s Hospital |
TELEHEALTH SERVICES & COVID-19
| “Autism Insurance Resource Center COVID-19-Fact-Sheet” Autism Insurance Resource Center, UMass Medical School Shriver Center |
| “Telehealth and HIPAA during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights |
COVID-19 & AUTISM IN THE NEWS
| “Pandemic means Americans with disabilities aren’t getting the services they need” May 11, 2020 PBS NewsHour |
| “A time of unprecedented fear for parents of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities” April 3, 2020 Caitlin Gibson, Washington Post |
| “Americans With Disabilities Are Terrified” April 3, 2020 Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic |
| “Helping autistic kids cope with the chaos and uncertainty of coronavirus“ March 17, 2020 Jackie Spinner, Washington Post |
STATE-SPECIFIC RESOURCES
KANSAS
| “The Preparedness Lifestyle. How to Plan for Seasonal and Pandemic Flu and Other Emergencies for People with Disabilities” The University of Kansas |
MASSACHUSETTS
| “Special Education Services in Massachusetts during COVID-19 Questions and Answers” Massachusetts Advocates for Children |
| “Massachusetts DDS COVID-19 Resources and Support” Department of Developmental Services, Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
| Family Resource Toolbox for Families with Children with Disabilities Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education |
| “As Outbreak Spreads, State Says Mass. Public Schools Must Educate Students With Disabilities” Max Larkin, WBUR |
NEW JERSEY
| “COVID-19 Guidance for Individuals and Families of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (New Jersey)” New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) |
| “Frequently Asked Questions on DDD Closures Related to COVID-19 for Individuals, Families and Providers (New Jersey)” New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) |
| “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Guidance For New Jersey Community Providers of Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) |
AUTISM AND GRIEF
| A resource for anyone supporting autistic individuals in their grief and loss “Supporting individuals on the autism spectrum coping with grief and loss through death or divorce” Marci Wheeler of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism |
| A resource for talking about death with adults with I/DD, for professional caregivers “Talking End of Life” online toolkit Roger Stancliffe and a partnership of Australian universities (2018) |
| A webinar for clinical pastoral professionals “Supporting People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities through Grief and Loss” Bill Gaventa and Meggie Kobb from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (2016) |
| Social stories and wordless books “My Special Person Died” Indiana Resource Center on Autism |
| A collection of free, downloadable wordless books on COVID-129 for discussing with nonreaders, from the UK company Books Beyond Words |
| Pieces written by autistic individuals reflecting on their own grief “Bereavement and autism: A universal experience with unique challenges” Elizabeth Graham The Arc Autism Now Project (2014) |
| “A Spectrum Son’s Tribute to his Mom” Sam Farmer The Asperger/Autism Network (undated) |
| “Autistic grief is not like neurotypical grief” Karla Fisher (2012) |
| Resources for anyone on grieving in the time of COVID-19 “On-Demand COVID-19 Programs” Hospice Foundation of America |
This website may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by parties other than the NLM Family Foundation. Such hyperlinks are provided for your reference only. The NLM Family Foundation does not control such websites and is not responsible for their contents. The NLM Family Foundation’s inclusion of hyperlinks does not necessarily imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or any association with their operators.