The long-term follow up team and their psychology experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London have kindly agreed to share their mental wellbeing resources with our young aplastic anaemia patient community members and their families. They have come across these resources in their work with families and have found them to be helpful.

How do you explain Coronavirus to a child?

We know that the current global pandemic is a worrying time for everyone, especially for families that might be shielding a family member with aplastic anaemia. Talking about how we feel and are coping during these difficult times is very important, particularly for children.

Coronavirus: A Book for Children has been published by Nosy Crow and illustrated by Alex Scheffler who is famous for his wonderful illustrations in books like The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. The book explores issues that families may be experiencing in an honest and accessible way. It draws on expert advice from a child psychologist and a professor from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

As well as being real and honest, the book gives a message of hope which is really important for children (and adults!) during these uncertain times. The book is available to download for free and you can view it here. We hope you find it a useful resource to share with your family.

Supporting a child/young person’s understanding of COVID-19

Some useful links:

• Two useful articles on talking to your child about coronavirus - from Young Minds & Child mind 
• Information for children from Place 2 Be

You may also find these resources useful:

• A child-friendly explanation of the coronavirus
• An online book explaining COVID-19 
• An online book about handwashing 
• Mencap’s easy-read guide to coronavirus 

Supporting your child’s coping: advice for parents

The coronavirus outbreak is a new experience for us all and some may be finding the situation stressful or worrying. The resources below provide some tips and information about supporting your child’s coping at this time.

Some useful links:

• Supporting kids during the crisis from Child mind
• Helping children cope with stress from the World Health Organisation
• Covid-19 parenting tips from Unicef
• Keeping children safe - NCPCC
• A quick video guide to managing anxiety around Coronavirus from a lead clinical psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London

For parents of older children/teenagers:

• Supporting your teen during Coronavirus from Mind
• Supporting teens and young adults during the C-19 pandemic

Resources for young people to help them cope

The resources below are for children and young people to access, many of which have been specifically created to support children and young people at this time.

• A video for children about the feelings COVID-19 may bring up for them   
• Childline’s Calm Zone Toolbox: breathing exercises, yoga, activities and games 
• BBC Newsround videos
• A guide to coronavirus, including activity ideas

For older children and teenagers:

• Information from Mind for young people worried about coronavirus 
• Information about coronavirus and online support for under 25s 
• Meditation apps: https://www.calm.com or https://www.headspace.com/covid-19  (Headspace - Trial the whole app for free and access ongoing free meditations in the ‘Weathering the storm’ section) 
• Information about mindfulness 
• BBC Newsround videos (Interviews with celebrities and practical guidance e.g. How to wash your phone)
• Advice from the World Health Organisation about coping with stress