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Parents of three autistic children share challenges of coping during COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on parents who have children with autism. The major change in their daily routine is challenging.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It’s a challenging time for parents across the country.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many to adjust to working from home and homeschooling their children.

But for the Brownlow family in Virginia Beach, it's an especially difficult time.

They’re raising three adult sons with autism. 

13News Now first met the family back in February, when parents Isreal and Ginger Brownlow opened up about their challenging journey raising their three sons with special needs.

21-year-old Jonathan, 19-year-old Isreal, and 18-year-old Nicholas were all diagnosed as young children. Lately, the family has been hunkered down at home with their children.

“It’s been one heck of a ride these past few weeks,” said Ginger. “The biggest challenge that we deal with all three of the autistic boys that we have is they’re out of their routine. Autistic children and parents that deal with autistic children know this. They have a certain order of doing things. There is no routine anymore because it’s just a series of putting out little fires.” 

For the Brownlow brothers, going to school was part of their daily routine. With shutdowns in place, they no longer attend.

These days, they continue getting help with school work and daily chores from their in-home therapists.

But even that’s a concern for the family.

“Our biggest fear is where do the therapists go when they leave the house? Because every day that they walk in starts my incubation period over again,” said Ginger.

Another challenge is not being able to take their children to their favorite frozen yogurt spot in the neighborhood. While many children would understand why it’s closed, the Brownlow children have a difficult time accepting these new changes.

“We have chosen not to tell our three boys about this virus, because we don’t want the world to go back to normal and the kids are afraid because of the coronavirus,” said Ginger. “With this situation, we don’t want to instill fear in them.”

The family is trying to get through activities like bike riding, cooking new recipes, and family yoga. They’ve even begun sharing their journey through 'Help PUSH,' the family’s new platform on Youtube and Instagram where they share videos of their journey.

Their goal is to help other parents who have children with autism.

“You have to create a new normal. When they’re feeling antsy, give them a new project,” said Ginger. “We have found that flour, water, and cinnamon does the trick because they like to squeeze, cut, and smell. Their senses are more heightened than ours.”

“I just encourage parents to be open to change,” said Isreal. “If your children wanna try something new during this time, tell them ‘Okay, no problem’ if it’s not a safety hazard, be open to change, because they’re trying to cope just as you are.”

The dedicated parents want to encourage other parents dealing with similar situations not to lose hope.

Even during this dark time, they’re seeing the light through small moments of joy.

RELATED: Virginia Beach parents open up about struggle raising their three adult sons with autism

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