Silver linings of the Covid-19 pandemic… for some! Comparing Experiences and Social demographic characteristics of autistic and non-autistic children with SEND in England.

The sample was a convenience sample of 83 parents recruited through social media and author networks, so it may not represent all families with SEND in England. All outcomes were parent-reported; the study did not measure children's own stress, wellbeing, or physical health directly. The sample was small, and ethnicity was excluded from regression because of low numbers and unequal distribution, so demographic effects may be unstable. The survey asked about the spring 2020 school closures and early reopening, so it reflects one period of the pandemic and cannot show longer-term effects. Qualitative themes came only from parents who reported no detrimental effect and who answered open-ended questions; some responses were not applicable and were excluded. Children in the Autistic and other SEND groups were not matched on co-morbidities or objective functioning, and English SEND records do not provide official functioning data, so groups may have been more similar than labels suggest. Socio-economic status was estimated from postcode deprivation, not individual family income.

Do not read the reported silver linings as evidence that lockdown improved outcomes for autistic children. The study was a small convenience survey of parent reports, and no difference was found between autistic and other SEND children in reported detrimental effects on mental or physical health.