By Arieh Binyamin, JNS
Disruptions in daily routines create an overwhelming sense of vulnerability for kids who rely heavily on predictability and structure.
How do you explain to a child with autism, who doesn’t understand the concept of time, that the war might last a long time? As a traumatic event, war affects the entire population. For students with special needs and their parents, however, the war’s impact can be especially complex and intense. Individuals with an intellectual disability are unable to process complex information or cope with uncertainty—things that are exacerbated during a crisis.
The international education community gathered in Tel Aviv recently for the Trump Foundation Excellence in Education Conference that, among other things, highlighted innovative approaches to education. Among those in attendance were professionals from Beit Issie Shapiro Special Education School in Ra’anana who shared tools that we use to successfully teach children with disabilities. By doing so, they demonstrated that special education is a treasure trove of knowledge and practices that can be applied to education for all students.
The past year in Israel has been filled with disruptive changes in daily schedules, educational settings, displacements and family separations due to the war. These disruptions create an overwhelming sense of vulnerability for kids who rely heavily on predictability and structure. Emotional processing has also become an immense challenge.
Students with intellectual disabilities often exhibit an increase in feelings of uncertainty and anxiety due to challenges in grasping the intricate security situation, comprehending the reasons behind the conflict, and understanding. They struggle to identify, understand and manage emotions such as fear, anger and sadness under normal circumstances—emotions heightened during crises.
The physical manifestations of wartime stress and anxiety, including significant disruptions in sleep and eating patterns, severely impact daily functioning. Some students may respond to this overwhelming distress by displaying extreme behaviors such as sudden outbursts, complete social withdrawal or repetitive actions.
As a result, parents are carrying an enormous burden. Aside from the intense anxiety for their children’s well-being, they have to balance caregiving with other family needs while navigating complex education and welfare systems during wartime.
Beit Issie Shapiro conducted a comprehensive study in partnership with Bar-Ilan University that involved 350 parents of children and youth with special needs, ages 6 months to 21 years. It revealed that many kids are exposed to traumatic events in Israel and respond severely, exhibiting emotional and functional challenges and regressing in hard-earned developmental milestones.
The research conducted by Bar-Ilan’s Dr. Yael Karni-Wiesel, Dr. Sagit Lev and Dr. Naomi Werbeloff-Becker and Beit Issie Shapiro’s Dr. Dana Roth found a significant decline in the quality of life for parents of children with special needs and for the children themselves since the outbreak of the war.
Parents reported a significant decrease in their child’s participation in enrichment activities and hobbies vital for their development and a commensurate decrease in their own ability to work due to the increased caregiving demands. Parents also reported a reduction in support from disability assistance organizations.
The research team focused on five strategies to support the students: preparedness; emotional support; consistent routines; interdisciplinary collaboration between educators, medical professionals and others; and parental guidance on how to recognize signs of distress and enhance their abilities to provide support for their child.
For instance, when parents observe their child acting out, it can be a sign the child is anxious and stressed. If possible, we advise parents to speak with their child and ask what he/she thinks can calm them down, and have them be the ones to give options of what will help (i.e., yoga, breathing, etc.). The next time there is such “acting out” behavior, remind them that this is the tool that helped in the past.
It’s also important for parents to try and not show their kids how stressed and anxious they are, and to try and keep calm and grounded. We advise parents to find mantras and/or calming methods that work so that they can utilize them when there is a warning siren, they can stay externally calm, which will, in turn, help their children cope better during stressful situations.
The war in Israel presents a significant challenge for all of us, even more so for special education students and their parents. Our response must be comprehensive, compassionate, and collaborative. Educators, psychologists, social workers and community leaders must work together to create a safety net that catches these families before they fall.
War doesn’t discriminate, but our response can. By focusing on the unique needs of families with members with a special challenge, we don’t just help them survive. We help them maintain their dignity, hope and quality of life.
