The Impact of COVID-19 on Anxiety and Worries for Families of Individuals with Special Education Needs and Disabilities in the UK.
V Sideropoulos, D Dukes, M Hanley and 5 others
PMID 34196890WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver anxiety and awareness of the pandemic predicted higher anxiety in children with special needs, more than age or diagnosis did.
Anxiety and worries about lost routine rose sharply in both SEND children and their siblings when schools closed.
Key findings
01For children with SEND, caregiver anxiety, a prior anxiety diagnosis, and awareness of COVID-19 significantly predicted higher anxiety at the start of the pandemic.
02Anxiety increased over time for both SEND children and typically developing siblings, with SEND children scoring higher at all three time points.
03Worries about changes in routine and loss of institutional support were significantly higher in the SEND group compared to siblings.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Data was collected via caregiver report, not from the individuals themselves, which introduces bias as caregiver mental health influences their perception of the child's wellbeing. The study used a cross-sectional design with retrospective questions about earlier time points, so recall bias is likely. The sample was recruited via social media and support groups, which may not represent the wider population. The study could not analyse differences based on specific primary diagnoses due to uneven group sizes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The study was part of a larger international collaboration but no specific funding source is detailed in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that specific diagnoses like autism or Down syndrome drive anxiety levels in this context. The analysis showed that age, gender, and general health status did not predict anxiety; rather, the child's awareness of the pandemic and the caregiver's own anxiety were the significant predictors.