A person with IDD may have challenges with masks. Gentle education is paramount to a successful adoption
A person with IDD may have serious challenges with wearing PPE. We do! We wear glasses, they fog up. Mask straps sometimes break. They itch. We forget them. We feel constrained and sometimes need to lift this mask up to get fresh air… If you are in charge of the well-being of a person with IDD, you may have already met real challenges to help them keep that mask on when required by a venue. If you haven’t faced these challenges just yet here are some tips to help the person you care for get familiar with the mask and adopt it joyfully.
Make it a 3rd-party game first
Instead of trying to put the mask on the person directly, which may lead to rejection, show the person how to put it on a toy like a big stuffed animal. Make it a game. Put it on, and leave it on the toy so that your protégé observes that it is ok, it is a game, it doesn’t look harmful. Then empower your protégé to put the mask himsef/herself on the toy, and to remove it. Doing this a few times will help your protégé to get familiar with the sight, the action of putting it on and off, and the normality of having a face covered.
Give choices to the person with IDD
Everybody likes having a choice. Fabric masks, when they are allowed by rules applicable to your area, give us an opportunity to vary the look based on preferences. Why not avail the same choices to the person you take care of?
Get a few fabric masks in different colors and with different patterns. Use colors you know your protégé loves.
It is a good idea to make sure the elastic straps are not too tight, so they don’t rub against the back of the ear. Check the tightness when you help put on the mask. If elastic straps are not an option, try masks with a tie that goes around the head. Adjust the knot so that the person is comfortable. Check the level of comfort with the person, as applicable.
Desensitize
Masks prevent the person from seeing facial expressions and cues. That can be an emotional situation. To help desensitize the new situation of having to wear a mask, let your protégé get slowly familiar with the object. Have several masks handy. If the person rips one, or throw it away, don’t fuss about it. Just allow him/her to get more familiar with the object. Give them another color or patterns to hold, feel, play with.
If you are in a setting with other persons around, make it an activity in itself: “Mask time!” Everyone puts on the mask and take it off. Make it a game. Reward your protégé for being willing to try putting it on, and succeeding.
If the person with IDD is not your own son or daughter, make sure the family is involved: if the family is not present, use FaceTime to connect with them. During these times, everyone can put on the mask and praise their child for doing so too.
A person with IDD may have skin sensitivities
A person with IDD may have serious skin sensitivities that have to be taken into account. Masks itch because of the rub, but also because their fabric can be rough for the skin. Be aware of any discomfort your protégé may have after wearing the mask for a few minutes. Observe if the person scratches him/herself in an attempt to relieve the itching. Change fabric, try non-synthetic. Make sure the mask isn’t too tight that the strap rubs against the face and behind the ears in an uncomfortable way.
Keep it light
As human beings we prefer choice over force, fun games over serious activities, smiles over tears and frowns. Putting a mask on is a challenge for everyone, not just for a person with IDD. We miss the social cues we are familiar with. We can’t hear someone talking though a mask as well as when no mask is present. Masks may make us feel clautrophobic. The air we breathe in and out is denser in CO2, less agreeable to breathe. Masks itch, they are not comfortable.
All these discomforts that we routinely put up with… may really bother a person with IDD and present him/her with new, difficult challenges to overcome.
Familiarization is key. A helpful, patient attitude is key. Keeping it light, fun will help. Love conquers all. It is an integral part of Person-Centered Practices, and getting yourself more trained on them is also key.
Person-Centered Thinking Training
Changing “how we think” is essential to achieving Person-Centered Practices. If a person with IDD is going to gain or regain positive control over his/her life, the professionals who support this person need to have a person-centered approach and mindset. This begins with how we think.
Person-Centered Thinking is the foundational mindset that enables healthcare and education professionals who support people with IDD to deliver services that are organized and consistent with Person-Centered Practices.
Intellectability is an organization entirely formed around Person-Centered Thinking Training and best Person-Centered Practices. They also are the creators of the famous Heath Risk Screening Tool, a web-based system that enables clinicians to monitor the health risks persons with IDD are exposed too due to physical disabilities.
Intellectability has created virtual training courses that will help healthcare personnel and education specialists to achieve Person-Centered Practices through the use of Person-Centered Thinking Training. You can learn more about this virtual training on their website.
