JACKSONVILLE, Texas — Caring for a child during the COVID-19 pandemic is hard enough. However, for a child with autism, the pandemic is an extra challenge.
About one of every 54 children will have a form of autism, according to the CDC.
"They struggle with functional skills sometimes," said Beth Womack, whose son has autism and is a teacher of autistic children. "They're alert us to such a regic schedule. So now, things are different."
Womack says developing a routine for the child is crucial during this time.
"They really thrive on routine," Womack explained. "And so if we have a routine and wake up and have breakfast, and we do work, then we play, things like that."
Elijah's Retreat in Jacksonville caters to autistic children and their families. Like everything else, the farm been affected by the virus.
"We've had to turn 33 families away, which is hard," said Elijah's Retreat director Cheryl Torres. "We also have a home setting internship program for youth with autism to be able to gain work experience, and that's been closed. And then there's a summer Earn-a-Learn program to Texas Workforce, that has also been cancelled for this summer."
However, Elijah's Retreat is doing the best it can to serve their clients.
"We're still doing fun videos and bunny races, which didn't end up turning out to be a very fast bunny race because they're snuggly and not very quick," Torres said. "We're doing all kinds of things to give the kids at home something to look forward to because we all need that right now."
You can find videos posted by Elijah's Retreat on their Facebook page.