Autism spectrum disorder during French COVID-19 lockdown: The importance of individualized support.
Marco Guidotti, Adrien Gateau, Remi Claire and 4 others
PMID 35781823WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism who received regular, individualized support from their existing care team showed no significant worsening in anxiety or behaviour during the French lockdown.
Parents reported stable child outcomes, though family anxiety and school work difficulties remained moderate.
Key findings
01There was no statistical difference in parents' assessments of child behaviour between the first three weeks and the last three weeks of the lockdown.
02Eight clinical items, including child anxiety and behaviour problems, had an average score of less than 2 on a 5-point scale at both time points.
03Family anxiety and impact on school work were the only items rated between 2 and 3 at both time points.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was observational, so it cannot prove that the support provided caused the stable outcomes; other factors like reduced social demands during lockdown may have played a role. Measurements were not standardized; parents reported changes which were then rated by professionals who knew the children, introducing potential bias and lacking the precision of validated scales. The sample was recruited from a single centre with specific care procedures, limiting how well the results apply to other settings or populations. The study period was short (eight weeks) and set up rapidly, which may have affected data quality.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and stated they did not receive funding for this project.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of worsening child behaviour as proof that lockdown itself is harmless for all children with ASD. This stability was observed in a group receiving active, individualized professional support; it may not apply to children without such access to care.