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Tips To Help Children With Special Needs To Wear Mask

2nd March 2022

Wearing a face mask has become an essential part of our lives these times. Public places are requiring people to wear a mask. For adults wearing masks can be an easy task to follow. However, for kids with special needs, this is often a challenge. Especially for children with sensory difficulties wearing a face mask can feel anxious, uncomfortable, and suffocating.

To add to this, some of your children may be extra sensitive to the way the mask feels on their heads, faces, and ears. Needless to say, parents are worried about their child's safety in wearing masks in public places.

While we know parents and SEN educators are trying to find ways, they can support children with special needs to get used to this norm but can be hard to help them feel comfortable with masks. Here are some ways that parents can help their children get used to the idea of wearing masks in public places.

Useful tips to help special needs children wear face masks –

1. Choose quality masks that your child finds comfortable to wear. Consider the type of mask you are going to pick for your children. Check for the stitching especially the nose and ear areas. To keep it attractive for your kids, pick a mask of their favorite color or any special characters they like. these days there are plenty of options to choose from a mask that is both fancy and does the work.

2. Speak to your kids and explain why it's important to wear the mask. Before you suddenly ask them to wear a mask, prepare your children about wearing masks. Although it may take a while as kids vary from one another, with practice they can get comfortable slowly and you can also know more about if there is anything they are finding it hard to keep wearing the mask before going out in a public setting. you can start with a few minutes at first and then gradually increase the timing. Practicing before public exposure also will give you the time to find a solution.

3. You are the model. While you help them practice, show your kid that you are practicing the same too. don’t forget to be gentle with your children if they are reluctant;also, never force them to put masks on their faces. Gradually expose them to the mask and they will learn by watching you.
 

Few essential things to keep in mind:
 

• Since, kids with special needs may have sensory difficulties during practice time, ask your kids to first just touch and hold the mask. And then when they are ready kids can do some activities like watching TV or playing while wearing the mask.

• Instead of verbal reminders, prompt with physical expression, visual cues in the beginning.

• While going out always keep extra face masks handy. This will save you from a lot of stress.

• Also, make sure you are reinforcing their habit of wearing masks and you can reward them when they cooperate with you.

Final Thoughts

Truth be told, none of us enjoy wearing a mask. We are going through a time where norms and social rules around pandemic are changing every day. Nothing is certain and nor do the protocols seem to be a definite one. Moreover, World Health Organization says children under 5 years old are not required to wear masks. Bear in mind wearing a mask for a prolonged time can be suffocating. Hence, giving your kids a break from wearing a mask is also essential. During your practice time, you can teach how they can navigate to take a break with a gesture like hand signals for instance, in a space where there are not many people close by.

So, parents need to be thoughtful about how they will navigate the situation by being empathic towards their child and know that this is hard for them too. if your child with special needs is reluctant to wear masks try making things a little bit relaxed and give them the space to adjust to this newness.

While we know things are starting to reopen soon and kids need to go to schools again, talk to their SEN educators with Online Special Education Courses about the current situation and norms. By working together with teachers, you can make sure to come up with a resolution for your child to wear masks at school.