Virus Contain Extra Trials for Children in Special Needs | International

PARIS (AP) —A week of strict French coronavirus blockade, autistic 14-year-old Mohammed began picking pickaxes and attacking the walls of family homes.

His explanation: “I can’t wait at home because it’s too long.”

The disruption of everyday life caused by a virus outbreak loves and takes care of children with disabilities and those who are locked up at home while specially needed schools and support programs are closed. For those who live, it is a trial of trials.

Mohammed hasn’t picked up his ax again since last month’s incident, his father Sarah reassured. However, the boy is frustrated that he is still stuck inside and says he wants to break the house.

The family, like others who told AP about their experience, spoke to the children on the condition that they were identified by name, concerned about the privacy of the child.

Worse, Mohammed’s mother working in a nursing home is on sick leave after she tests positive for COVID-19. She had to live for a few weeks in isolation on the top floor of the Mantela Jolie house on the outskirts of Paris. Her health has since improved.

The physical distance with her family was especially difficult for Mohammed, who had an intimate relationship with her mother.

“We kept telling him we were ill. He took notes, and then he tried to climb up again to see her,” Sarah said.

Violent explosions, lack of understanding, conflicts, panic attacks: Living in a locked-down shocked many children with special needs. Also, antivirus protection in France is currently in its second month and will be implemented until at least 11 May, the most stringent in Europe.

At home, Mohammed must always be careful not to hurt or endanger himself.

“That’s difficult for him. We scold him and said no. We need to repeat,” Sarah said. The father acknowledges his fatigue and works as a telecommunications engineer at home, caring for Mohammed and his two siblings, ages 12 and 8.

Sarah knows how to detect facial signs when Muhammad’s pressure is too high and can get angry. “Don’t make things hot.”

Mohammed usually attends the Bel Air Institute near Versailles. Bel Air Institute provides special education and treatment services to dozens of children with various types of disabilities. His teacher. Corentin Sainte Fare Garnot will do its best to help.

“Removing a crutch from a person in need of one every day is very complicated,” he said.

For people with autism, “loneliness and lack of activity can be very profound,” the teacher said. Mohammed calls him several times a day.

Aurelie Collett, manager of the Bel Air Institute, said that some teenagers initially didn’t understand the lockdown rules, so they stayed home and continued to go out. Others who were well integrated into the class turned inside and isolated themselves in the bedroom.

The staff, including social networks, have developed creative tools to communicate with children and keep them working, she said.

17-year-old Thomas and 14-year-old Pierre, brothers with intellectual disabilities who also go to Bel Air, are similarly destabilized by lockdown restrictions.

“I’m worried about how long the lockdown lasts and what happens next,” Thomas said. Teenagers ask many questions about “How many people will get the virus when the epidemic stops?”

Another big concern of Thomas is his future. The internship he planned for this summer may be postponed.

Pierre said he had more nightmares than usual, adding that the blockade was causing family brawls.

At first the parents remembered, the boys behaved like they were on vacation, playing all day and calling friends. Parents organized activities to give Pierre and Thomas more structure during the public health crisis.

Especially for Pierre, I missed the gardening I did at Bel Air, so I planted seeds in pots to grow daikon.

Under national restrictions, the French can leave the house for essential services such as buying food, going to a doctor, etc. and need to be near the house. Physical activity in public places is strictly limited to an hour within a nearby radius. Police fines on a daily basis.

Recognizing the regulatory burden on people with autism, France Announcement by President Emmanuel Macron Announcing an exception that allows you to go out to normal places without observing time or distance restrictions.

The new challenges that pandemics bring to children with special needs are well known to millions of families around the world. All over America. , Teachers are looking for new ways to offer customized lessons from afar, and parents of children with disabilities add not only homeschooling but therapy, hands-on lessons, and behavior management to their responsibilities .

Sarah has begun to take Mohammed again to ride a bike, his eldest son is an activity he enjoyed before the pandemic.

“This is like a relief valve for him. He needs it … we’re having a hard time keeping up with him, he’s happily yelling,” Sarah said in his voice. I said with a smile.

Sainte Fare Garnot helps families find concrete solutions. Playing football with the brothers in the yard turned out to be difficult for Mohammed due to the rules of the team game being too complex, so he suggested instead that three boys take turns in the goal.

France is still catching up With several developing country peers in terms of educational opportunities for children with autism spectrum disorders, and teachers also spent months re-learning skills that may have been lost during the lockdown period. I’m afraid I need to spend.

The president has announced that he will reopen the school “in stages” from May 11, but authorities have not yet revealed details about children in need of special assistance. France has over 350,000 students with disabilities, including 70,000 in special education systems including Bel Air.

Uncertainty is especially difficult for young people like Mohammed. “I know he will ask me again,” his teacher said.