By Courtney Mitchell
A new online toolkit from an interdisciplinary team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will help families and caregivers supporting individuals with autism during the COVID-19 epidemic.
The toolkit — “Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times” — provides user-friendly, evidence-based resources for people supporting individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The toolkit was developed by experts from the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, the UNC School of Education, and the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Allied Health Sciences.
Kara Hume, PhD, associate professor in the UNC School of Education and faculty fellow at FPG, assembled the team and led development of the toolkit.
“Our team wants these families and their children with autism to know that there are resources and supports here for them,” says Hume. “These individuals and their caregivers are especially vulnerable to the current stressors, and this guide provides a toolkit of strategies that can provide some relief in these uncertain times.”
By Courtney Mitchell