This page provides information and resources for you and your family about the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). We are continuously tracking information from local, state, and national public health authorities and creating new resources to support you and your family.
Para recursos en español sobre el coronavirus, haga clic aquí.
Current Status – All ASNC offices and programs remain closed to comply with local and state directives regarding COVID-19. Employees are working remotely and can be reached via phone and email during normal business hours. For more information, or to reach staff, please call 800-442-2762.
Events – Please check our calendar frequently. We are offering online webinars, chapter meetings, and more to support your family during this time.
Stay Connected with Us
- ASNC social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
- Email (sign up here)
What’s New
We continue to add new webinars, social narratives, and other tools to the the resource list below. These are a few of the latest offerings:
- Webinar: Smoothing the Transition Back to School: COVID Edition (added 9/17/20)
- Webinar: Navigating the Challenges of Online Learning and Telehealth Services through Collaboration (added 9/8/20)
- Webinar: Preventing Challenging Behavior in These Challenging Times (added 8/12/20)
- Webinar: Autism and COVID-19: Teaching the Rules in this New Norm (added 8/11/20)
Autism-Specific Resources
Webinars
Setting the stage for success:
- Navigating the Challenges of Online Learning and Telehealth Services through Collaboration
- The IEP Process in Changing Times
- Autism & Covid-19: Teaching the rules in this new norm
- Tips and Strategies to Use During COVID-19
- Structuring your day for success
- Structuring Your Child’s Academic Day during COVID-19
- Encouraging Positive Behavior
- Understanding Your Circle of Control
Engaging and instructing your child:
- Structuring activities to promote independence
- Structuring your child’s academic day
- Tips for promoting communication in young learners
- Developing calming, movement, and coping routines
Addressing challenging behavior:
Social narratives
- Going to bed
- Good night’s sleep
- School work at home
- Parents check my work
- I can’t see my grandparents
- Wearing a mask
- People Around Me Are Wearing Masks
- Social Distancing
- What Does 6 Feet Mean?
- Temperature Checks
- Don’t share germs!
- About Coronavirus
- No school today
- Day program is closed today
- We have to stay home
- Carol Gray Social Story about Pandemics and Coronavirus
- HMEA’s Autism Resource Central social stories
- COVID-19 Information by and for People with Disabilities
Blogs and Toolkits
- App to School: Apps to Make Screen Time Educational
- Planning for School, Step 1: Understand Your Options
- Planning for School, Step 2: Getting Organized
- Working through the Challenges of Wearing a Mask
- Needing a Role Model During Chaotic Times
- Escape into Learning
- New Adventures in These Challenging Times
- Addressing School Concerns During COVID-19
- Staying Structured and Engaged in this Challenging Time
- UNC-CH toolkit: “Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times”
General Helplines
- NC Coronavirus Helpline provides education about the virus and guidance on what to do if coronavirus is suspected (open 24 hours, seven days a week): 866-462-3821 or text VIRUS to 336-379-5775
- COVID-19 Triage Plus Helpline answers COVID-19 questions and helps find necessary care regardless of insurance coverage or lack of coverage (open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week): 877-490-6642
- Hope4NC Helpline 24/7 connects callers to mental health and resilience supports: 855-587-3463
- Hope4Healers Helpline for care professionals 24/7: 919-226-2002
Tips to Protect You and Your Family
- Practice the 3 Ws (Wear a cloth face covering, Wait 6 feet apart, Wash your hands often & use hand sanitizer)
- When you wash your hands, do so for at least 20 seconds in hot, soapy water. Handwashing Steps from the CDC
- Practice social distancing. While out, maintain at least 6 feet between yourself and others
- Cover your mouth (not with your hands) when coughing or sneezing to prevent the spread of germs
- If you or your child is not feeling well, stay home
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Regularly clean surfaces that are frequently touched
Education Update and Resources
- School Planning Checklist for Families from the CDC
- Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit: Guidelines released June 8 to help North Carolina K-12 public schools begin to find a safe way to open to in-person instruction for the 2020-21 academic year
- Lighting Our Way Forward: Guidance developed by the NC Department of Public Instruction for reopening public schools for the 2020-21 school year
- Information from the Exceptional Children Division, NC DPI
- EC Processes: Points for Consideration During School Closure from NC DPI
- US Dept. of Education: Q&A on providing services to children with disabilities
- Accessing Special Education during COVID-19 fact sheet from DRNC
- State Board of Education: FAQs on grading and promotion
- Tips sheet for virtual IEP meetings
- Variety of education resources from Legal Aid NC
- Also, see our blog post “Addressing School Concerns During COVID-19” for tips and strategies.
- Watch our webinar on Compensatory Education to learn about these services.
Food, Housing, and Employment Assistance
- Social services: Dial 211 for information about and referrals to social services such as food, clothing, shelters, housing, utility assistance, mental health and health resources, employment supports, family support, and more
- Meals for children: Families who need help finding meals for their children ages 18 and younger can text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.
- No Kid Hungry NC list of food distribution sites during school closures
- Find your local food bank
- Unemployment Insurance information and FAQs
- WellCare: Coronavirus Resource Guide
- Internet map to find free or low-cost internet service for students
- Healthy Helping provides $40 per month for fruits and vegetables at North Carolina Food Lion stores for current SNAP recipients impacted by COVID-19.
Mental Health Supports
The Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7/365 crisis counseling and support for anyone experiencing distress or other behavioral health concerns related to any natural or human-caused disaster, including public health emergencies. Calls to 1-800-985-5990 and texts of “TalkWithUs” to 66746 are answered by a network of independently operated crisis centers, which provide psychological first aid, emotional support, crisis assessment and intervention, and referrals to local/state behavioral health services for follow-up care and support.
- MHA: Self-Help Tools
- MHA: Mental Health and Coronavirus
- CDC: Coronavirus – Managing Anxiety and Stress
- SAMHSA: Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- SAMHSA: Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
Medical Forms and Insurance Information
- COVID-19 Disability Medical Info Form
- Letter to Physicians and Hospitals
- Medical summary form for individuals with autism who may have COVID
- NCDHHS: NC Innovations and TBI Waiver (Appendix K) Frequently Asked Questions on temporary Medicaid flexibilities
- If you are uninsured, you may be eligible for help paying for certain COVID-19 testing costs through the NC Medicaid Optional COVID-19 Testing (MCV) program:
Online application
Program fact sheet: English | Spanish
Recommended Sources of Information
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 page for facts about the virus, tips on prevention and treatment, and other information
- NC COVID-19 page for North Carolina-specific information on the disease, executive orders, resources, unemployment, child care, help for small businesses, and more
- Check My Symptoms, a public website that allows people to enter their symptoms and determine whether they should get tested for COVID-19
- Find My Testing Place, a public website that allows people to input their county or ZIP code and access a list of nearby testing site locations
- CDC’s Share Facts page for a quick summary of facts and myths