Getting Your Special Needs Child to Wear a Mask: Challenges and Solutions

It can be challenging to parent a child with special needs, especially during uncertain times. You are living your life the best you can and then…. the pandemic hits. Now we live in this new abnormal where masks are not only recommended but required in some areas. Many challenges may arise when you have to put a mask on your child who has special needs. This can be especially true when they are already having sensory overload issues. 

Teaching a child to wear a mask has many steps & will take time. Nationwide Children's Hospital says, “Research shows that pairing and shaping may help with adapting to new routines. Each step may require several attempts, and it’s important not to move ahead too fast.” Pairing and shaping can look different for each child but often requires praise or playfulness in exchange for the new routine.

One mother we spoke with recently told us she taught her child about COVID-19 using pepper and water in a spray bottle. She explained that the air was the water, and the virus was the pepper. The mask helped to keep all the bad stuff (pepper) away. This helped her explain to her child why the mask was important for their safety. While learning to cope with challenges and creating solutions can be quite difficult, making it fun and exciting may help your child be more relaxed for this change. 

Your child may be a visual learner, so showing instead of telling may be the best solution for your family.

Here are our top three suggestions to help your child make the transition to wearing a mask a little easier.

When Your Child is Scared of the Mask 

Challenge

When working with a special needs child, adding something to the routine or making a change can be a difficult challenge in itself. When that change is a mask your child is supposed to wear against their skin it could make things even worse. To them, it could be scary just to see the mask and maybe even more scary to put it on. 

Solution

Work on slowly introducing the mask during the day. For example, by holding it in your hand or just letting the mask lay around the house, you can start to introduce it into your child’s life. Playing games like who can wear it longer is another option. 

Another suggestion is to pretend to play “doctor” or act like superheroes. This can be an easy solution to this specific challenge. Who doesn’t love to pretend that they can save the world?!

When Your Child Doesn’t Know Who is Behind the Mask 

Challenge

A mask covers half a person's face making it hard for your children to identify who is behind it. Being scared of people that are wearing a mask can be a difficult situation and can lead to meltdowns, but there is a simple solution.

Solution

What is that simple solution? As the parent, simply ask the adult to remove the mask for a few seconds or long enough to show the child their identity. It may be best to do this 6 feet apart so you are properly socially distanced. After this introduction, your child will likely be more comfortable as they are now reacquainted and know who is behind the mask. This may differ each time depending on the situation.

When Your Child is Frequently Adjusting the Mask 

Challenge

As adults, we are often fidgeting with our own masks! Now imagine being a child having to wear a mask and being told not to touch it. Pretty difficult to imagine, right? Your child may mess with the fabric, snap the elastic, lick the mask, or even bite a hole in the mask. As a parent, that would be our worst fear that these things could cause pain and possible obstruction of airways. And in the end, not serve the original purpose of wearing the mask.

Solution

There are a couple of different solutions that would work for this situation. First off, fidgeting or touching the mask… How are we supposed to tell our children not to when we do all the time? We need to educate them on how our hands carry germs and can potentially cause illnesses if they are consistently touching something so close to their face. 

Secondly, make sure the fabric is comfortable and they enjoy their mask. Let them pick out their favorite fabric and design and be sure it fits around their head or their ears comfortably. If it’s a disposable mask, consider letting them decorate it with a few stickers.

In the end, keep it fun. They are still kids, no matter what is happening in the world.

These visual representations will take some practice, repetition, and time but can be a great start to transition into this new way of life. 

What challenges have you faced in this unprecedented time? What can we help with? 

Here at 121 Learning Works, we strive to help you address behaviors that may be challenging for your child. If you would like some more information or would like to speak with one of our behavior specialists, please contact us HERE.