Facing Change and Uncertainty: Lessons Learned from Autistic Children and their Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Farah Mgaieth, Melanie Palmer, Tony Charman and 1 others
PMID 39623169WHAT IT FOUND
Families reported both worsening and improving outcomes during lockdown.
Children with sensory or social needs often struggled with lost structure, but others saw reduced anxiety and better communication from increased one-to-one time at home. Support services and school continuity were critical gaps.
Key findings
01Ten parents reported an increase in their child's anxiety due to loss of routine and virus fears, while three reported a decrease because the child avoided school's social demands.
02Three parents noticed improved communication and interaction, attributing this to increased one-to-one adult time at home rather than school-based social pressures.
03Specialist support services, including educational and mental health care, largely stopped in March 2020, placing the burden of therapy and schooling on parents.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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 sample was small (18 parents) and predominantly White, with only one father, limiting generalisability to diverse cultural and family structures. Participants were recruited from a previous intervention study (ASTAR), so their baseline levels of behavioural problems or anxiety may not represent the wider autistic population. Most participants lived in urban London, so experiences of families in rural areas with different access to services or space may differ. The study relies on parent report, which may be influenced by their own high stress levels and mental health during the pandemic.
Declared interests
The original ASTAR study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The authors declare no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that remote or home-based therapy is universally effective or ineffective. The study shows mixed outcomes: while some children improved with one-to-one home support, others deteriorated due to lost structure and social isolation. Clinical decisions must be based on the individual child's profile, not a general rule about lockdown impacts.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →