A longitudinal study of the mental health of autistic children and adolescents and their parents during COVID-19: Part 1, quantitative findings.
Umar Toseeb, Kathryn Asbury
PMID 35669991WHAT IT FOUND
During the UK lockdown, anxiety stayed high for autistic young people but decreased for those with other special educational needs.
Parents' distress remained stable throughout. This suggests autistic young people did not adapt to the new normal, while others recovered from the initial disruption.
Key findings
01Anxiety symptoms decreased over time for young people with other special educational needs but remained stable for autistic young people.
02Depression symptoms remained stable for both autistic young people and those with other special educational needs throughout the study period.
03There was no significant difference in psychological distress or well-being between parents of autistic young people and parents of children with other special educational needs, nor did these levels change over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was an opportunity sample recruited online, which may not be representative of the wider population. Families receiving alternative provision and those from low-income households were more likely to drop out, potentially biasing the results toward more stable or affluent families. Mental health data relied entirely on parent report, which may not accurately reflect the young person's internal state. The study excluded non-verbal or minimally verbal autistic young people, so findings only apply to those who speak in sentences. There was no pre-pandemic baseline for comparison, so it is unclear if anxiety levels were already high before the lockdown.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The study was supported by non-US government funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the stability of anxiety in autistic young people indicates a lack of impact from the pandemic. The study shows anxiety remained high, which is a negative outcome compared to the decrease seen in other SEND groups. It does not prove that the pandemic caused new anxiety, as there was no pre-pandemic baseline, but it does show a failure to recover from initial distress.