Are therapists doing unmasked therapy for kids with anxiety about covid stuff yet?

[Anonymous]

OP I would just call around, but stick to those who do not take insurance. I don't think anyone who takes insurance is willing to risk catching Covid and losing income to accommodate your child for lower pay. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

We haven't had any real restrictions. If your child's mental health is that fragile stop blaming the pandemic already...OP is trying to bully others into not masking.

Most everything has been back to full normal for the last year and a half.

This is the SN board. MANY of our kids really suffered from school closures. I know that mine only stabilized a few months ago, and the repercussions may last a long, long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

We fundamentally disagree. I think it perfectly reasonable for anyone (adult / child) to want to wear a mask in an indoor store based on the current level of Covid risk. Why would child want to risk getting significantly sick?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

Or, maybe is not about being frightened about the mask but about getting sick and supporting masking to stay healthy is a good approach. Anywhere indoors, it’s ok to mask. Not everything is anxiety just because they think differently than you. Get the kid fun masks and mask up to show you support your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

We haven't had any real restrictions. If your child's mental health is that fragile stop blaming the pandemic already...OP is trying to bully others into not masking.

Most everything has been back to full normal for the last year and a half.

This is the SN board. MANY of our kids really suffered from school closures. I know that mine only stabilized a few months ago, and the repercussions may last a long, long time.

And many kids also suffer from health issues that can make Covid very serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

It makes no sense to tell child they cannot mask especially if they see others masking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

Your assertion that “the mask really isn’t necessary “ is your opinion, although I’m sure you have justifications for that opinion. As recently as yesterday, researchers whose opinions that I trust held that high quality masks, properly worn, help prevent spreading COVID and other diseases. Since you get that an adult can reasonably wear a mask, why not a kid? I agree with you that part of effectively managing the anxiety is understanding how to assess actual risks. In this case, the kid is doing something that many educated, informed adults would view as appropriate. The parent disagrees — and wants to normalize her own beliefs as she searches for a therapist that shares these very-much-not-universal beliefs. I sincerely hope that the kid gets appropriate and effective treatment for the anxiety. I also sincerely hope that family therapy is part of this treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

Covid has a high transmission rate. They are necessary. This current strain is not fun. Why would you not want to take precautions to keep your family and others healthy. Maybe you are the problem and not respecting your child’s concerns. You want a therapist to convince your child you are right and they are wrong. That is a bad message to a kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

We fundamentally disagree. I think it perfectly reasonable for anyone (adult / child) to want to wear a mask in an indoor store based on the current level of Covid risk. Why would child want to risk getting significantly sick?

Read the OP. The child has *significant* anxiety/OCD like behaviors, that are focused irrationally on covid. The therapy would involve helping her assess the actual risk of entering a store without a mask. Similar to how not washing your hands can lead to getting sick; so therapy for someone with an OCD compulsion has to involve learning when to do the behavior. Covid really did a number on people with OCD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

We fundamentally disagree. I think it perfectly reasonable for anyone (adult / child) to want to wear a mask in an indoor store based on the current level of Covid risk. Why would child want to risk getting significantly sick?

Read the OP. The child has *significant* anxiety/OCD like behaviors, that are focused irrationally on covid. The therapy would involve helping her assess the actual risk of entering a store without a mask. Similar to how not washing your hands can lead to getting sick; so therapy for someone with an OCD compulsion has to involve learning when to do the behavior. Covid really did a number on people with OCD.

There is nothing wrong with masking. If the child has anxiety/OCD, that needs to be the primary focus and treated but forcing a child not to wear a mask is silly. Wearing a mask right now is a good choice. They are two separate issues. If its that bad, child probably needs to see a psychiatrist for medication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

Your assertion that “the mask really isn’t necessary “ is your opinion, although I’m sure you have justifications for that opinion. As recently as yesterday, researchers whose opinions that I trust held that high quality masks, properly worn, help prevent spreading COVID and other diseases. Since you get that an adult can reasonably wear a mask, why not a kid? I agree with you that part of effectively managing the anxiety is understanding how to assess actual risks. In this case, the kid is doing something that many educated, informed adults would view as appropriate. The parent disagrees — and wants to normalize her own beliefs as she searches for a therapist that shares these very-much-not-universal beliefs. I sincerely hope that the kid gets appropriate and effective treatment for the anxiety. I also sincerely hope that family therapy is part of this treatment.

The child is SEVEN. She's not making an independent, informed decision to mask. She's being driven by compulsions/anxiety. The whole point is that she is not making a reasonable decision. She has an anxiety disorder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

We fundamentally disagree. I think it perfectly reasonable for anyone (adult / child) to want to wear a mask in an indoor store based on the current level of Covid risk. Why would child want to risk getting significantly sick?

Read the OP. The child has *significant* anxiety/OCD like behaviors, that are focused irrationally on covid. The therapy would involve helping her assess the actual risk of entering a store without a mask. Similar to how not washing your hands can lead to getting sick; so therapy for someone with an OCD compulsion has to involve learning when to do the behavior. Covid really did a number on people with OCD.

There is nothing wrong with masking. If the child has anxiety/OCD, that needs to be the primary focus and treated but forcing a child not to wear a mask is silly. Wearing a mask right now is a good choice. They are two separate issues. If its that bad, child probably needs to see a psychiatrist for medication.

Yes there is something wrong with masking if its being driven by a compulsion and not relating to the actual risks of covid. This is true for adults and kids with OCD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

We fundamentally disagree. I think it perfectly reasonable for anyone (adult / child) to want to wear a mask in an indoor store based on the current level of Covid risk. Why would child want to risk getting significantly sick?

Read the OP. The child has *significant* anxiety/OCD like behaviors, that are focused irrationally on covid. The therapy would involve helping her assess the actual risk of entering a store without a mask. Similar to how not washing your hands can lead to getting sick; so therapy for someone with an OCD compulsion has to involve learning when to do the behavior. Covid really did a number on people with OCD.

There is nothing wrong with masking. If the child has anxiety/OCD, that needs to be the primary focus and treated but forcing a child not to wear a mask is silly. Wearing a mask right now is a good choice. They are two separate issues. If its that bad, child probably needs to see a psychiatrist for medication.

Yes there is something wrong with masking if its being driven by a compulsion and not relating to the actual risks of covid. This is true for adults and kids with OCD.

I am not a position to assess the OP’s overall concern about the child’s anxiety. I am only stating that it is wrong to push a child to go maskless into a public store at this time. While many (if not most) do go maskless, I don’t and I think that decision is supported by science. To me, the child’s anxiety is providing an appropriate warning as to this distinct issue of wearing a mask in an indoor public place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. But an individual's subjective and idiosyncratic views of risk re: COVID do trump everything else -- that is, nobody is an indentured servant or can be chained to a wall to provide unmasked care.

I suppose they can be let go or fired, but they can't forcibly be made to take risks. I think you know that, though. It's basic bodily autonomy.

If your views on health risks are out of step with the rest of the country/world, and they are likely interfering with therapy, then yeah, the provider has a duty to think it through. We are almost three years into this; no more excuse for policies that compromise care (like masked speech therapy, limiting visitors in hospitals) just because it has the appearance of reducing risk.

Does "thinking it through" mean "come to the same conclusion as I do" to you?

Thinking it through means an honest assessment of the costs and benefits. I have not seen that in this discussion. Instead people deny that masking has any impact.

Anyway, CHOP in Philly just released their school year recommendations, which do NOT include masking. It's interesting that all these therapists know better than the nation's premier children's hospital.

"Unless required by health departments, schools and early childhood programs no longer need to enact masking requirements within school settings."

https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab-CHOP-Guidance-for-Updated-COVID-19-School-Mitigation-Plans-2022-23.pdf

Please quote the post that claims this, since you keep citing it. I don't see it.

Dp. Are you for real? People claim that on this site daily. I’m not going to go through however many pages of posts, but I see claims all the time on this site that any negative impacts (that people rightly deduce stem from pandemic restrictions) is obviously because of pre-existing anxiety or something the parents have done wrong.

Okay. So you can't post to anyone in this 2 day old thread we are in who has claimed this, so we can agree those people are not participating in this discussion.

You can stop referencing them as if they are a part of the conversation now.

Ok. I went to the first page. Page 1. Go look. Someone says it’s “all learned behavior. Stop freaking your child out”. So blaming the parents.

Her child's anxiety about masks is a learned behavior, unless you are claiming that babies are born with an inherent fear of masks. (They aren't.)

As to whether masking has any effect at all on learning, I don't see anyone claiming it doesn't. But if you want to move the goalposts, by all means carry on.

Again. I’m not reading this entire thread. I started and I find it just sad and somewhat appalling. But this site is full of people denying that pandemic restrictions have had any impact on children and their mental health. There’s even people who claim children never experienced restrictions. So the OP is rightly feeling unsupported in her search for an appropriate therapist for her child.

You might go back and skim to see that no one said there aren’t issues with masks. Simply find a provider who’s use of them matches your own needs and preferences. Several suggestions of mask free or mask adaptable/flexible therapists have been offered or chimed in.

Of course people on this thread are denying issues with masks. Like, there are people who are suggesting that the Op doesn’t know their child. It’s sad, particularly in a forum for issues for SN kids. Surely many parents of SN kids have heard that the problems our kids struggle with are not real or all due to poor parenting. And yet here you have those parents doing the same thing to a similar parent.

On the OP, I am fine with trying to find a maskless therapy option in the abstract. My question about the OP is that her comments suggest the OP is pushing an anti-mask approach on a child who is anxious about Covid. Specifically, she wrote about frustration about her child’s reluctance to enter a store without a mask. I see no reason to push your child to go into a public indoor store without a mask. While I don’t want to downplay the concerns about the child’s anxiety, there are suggestions in OP’s comments that OP is in part pushing her child to give up concerns about Covid that are reasonable.

Because the mask really isn’t necessary, PP. It’s one thing for an adult to say “Oh, I am covid cautious and wear my mask in CVS because I really hate being sick/have a trip coming up/want to go see my grandma next week.” Quite another for a child with anxiety/OCD tendencies to be frightened of going anywhere without a mask. I get that people mask at this point for a variety of personal reasons and that’s fine. But OP’s child seems like they have anxieties out of proportion with the risk. Part of effective anxiety treatment would be for her to understand the actual risk.

We fundamentally disagree. I think it perfectly reasonable for anyone (adult / child) to want to wear a mask in an indoor store based on the current level of Covid risk. Why would child want to risk getting significantly sick?

Read the OP. The child has *significant* anxiety/OCD like behaviors, that are focused irrationally on covid. The therapy would involve helping her assess the actual risk of entering a store without a mask. Similar to how not washing your hands can lead to getting sick; so therapy for someone with an OCD compulsion has to involve learning when to do the behavior. Covid really did a number on people with OCD.

There is nothing wrong with masking. If the child has anxiety/OCD, that needs to be the primary focus and treated but forcing a child not to wear a mask is silly. Wearing a mask right now is a good choice. They are two separate issues. If its that bad, child probably needs to see a psychiatrist for medication.

Yes there is something wrong with masking if its being driven by a compulsion and not relating to the actual risks of covid. This is true for adults and kids with OCD.

I am not a position to assess the OP’s overall concern about the child’s anxiety. I am only stating that it is wrong to push a child to go maskless into a public store at this time. While many (if not most) do go maskless, I don’t and I think that decision is supported by science. To me, the child’s anxiety is providing an appropriate warning as to this distinct issue of wearing a mask in an indoor public place.

Why is that “wrong”? CHOP just issued recommendations against school mask requirements. It’s really not necessary. Forcing her not to mask is probably not the best approach to anxiety therapy, but there is no “science” demanding people mask in stores at this point.