Health Precautions During Covid-19: Don't Scratch That Itch!

We had a 12 year-old boy in the residence where I worked who has terrible eczema, which was exacerbated when he was stressed. 

He tended to scratch his face, arms and hands until they bled. Yes, he had special prescription ointment he was supposed to apply in the morning, afternoon and before bedtime when he remembered and the staff was reminding him to be conscious of what he was doing, which was challenging. 

The other kids kept their distance because he was covered in scabs and bleeding, which isolated him even more and increased his stress level.  Doing some social role-playing, the clinicians and I worked to get him to regularly apply the ointment, keep his hands away from his face and wear long sleeved shirts to stop him from scratching.  And all helped him tremendously. 

But now, in this time of Covid-19, how do you stop a boy from touching his face, encourage him to wash his hands and not to be stressed even more than usual?

Just one of the issues when dealing with a health pandemic and children with disabilities. Hopefully, now that he’s older, he can remember to protect himself, be aware of his actions and remain calm.

—Carol K. Kennedy, Ph.D.