Taking ACTion: 18 Simple Strategies for Supporting Children with Autism During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically uprooted the lives of families around the world. Families living with children with autism may be particularly affected due to being abruptly deprived of their usual in-person support from applied behavior analysis (ABA) service providers. This article gives how-to instructions on 18 simple ACT training programs that can be used as supplements to ongoing ABA services to support children with autism whose verbal repertoires may play a part in the challenges they are facing during the current crisis. We describe several challenges that have been frequently reported by families and ABA practitioners during the pandemic. For each behavioral challenge, we provide a brief practical description, brief behavioral conceptual description, and how-to guidance on implementing ACT procedures that address each behavioral challenge at a functional level. The appendix contains child- friendly worksheets for practitioners to use as visual supports while implementing the intervention procedures.