Coronavirus: confinement and autism, a complicated situation for parents

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This April 2 is International Autism Awareness Day. For parents of children with this disability, this moment takes place in a particular context this year with the containment measures.

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This period of confinement is particularly difficult for parents whose children with autism are usually admitted to specialized medical institutes. These children, like all French people, must now stay at home, and the centers or specialized schools that welcome them are closed.

Parents have no choice but to adapt by becoming a teacher, educator and father or mother of a confined autistic child. “ Julien takes the 100 steps in the house, goes from one room to another so he emits a lot more cries than before, explains his mother Agnès Ducher. He has a lot more stereotypes than before, he will start hopping against a piece of furniture, shaking his head, which he did not do before ”.

At 13, enduring confinement becomes difficult for Julien, who is now deprived of his usual bearings and in particular his specialized educators. “ Being locked up in an apartment really becomes very complicated for him. We have a lot of links with her referent educator who calls us every 48 hours or so. We also had his psychomotor therapist who sent us an email to give us some ideas to keep him busy, ”explains his mother.

Agnès Ducher is raising her two children alone, which makes the situation all the more complicated to manage. " I have the helping mother's cap with a child with a disability, I also have to follow up on the duties of my daughter who is in college and also the mother's cap quite simply with all that involves the management of the house », She explains.

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• Containment
• Coronavirus
• France
• Health and Medicine