The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Quarantine on Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disability: A Longitudinal Study.
Marina Jodra, Domingo García-Villamisar
PMID 36309900WHAT IT FOUND
Scores measured before, during, and after lockdown in adults with autism and intellectual disability showed more autistic traits during confinement, improved executive function and wellbeing after reopening, and worse balance, with no change in walking.
Key findings
01Severity of autistic traits was higher during confinement than before it, then fell after confinement and ended close to the pre-confinement level.
02The DEX score, where higher means more daily-life executive difficulties, dropped from 47.31 before confinement to 43 after it.
03Tinetti balance worsened after confinement, while walking scores did not differ significantly across measurements.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
There was no control group of people without autism or intellectual disability, so changes over time cannot be compared with normal fluctuations. All participants were in day centers, so results may not apply to adults with autism and intellectual disability who stayed at home. Follow-up was short, with only three measurement times, so longer-term effects were not assessed. After confinement, participants returned to many activities at once, including physical activities, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, communication, social skills, cognitive development, occupational workshops and leisure activities, so any single service cannot be credited for improvement. Tutors completed many questionnaires, and they knew the participants, although not the study objectives. The Tinetti balance and walking scale was developed for older adults, not specifically for adults with autism and intellectual disability.
Declared interests
Funded by Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The supplied text does not report other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that confinement caused worsening or that returning to day centers caused improvement. There was no control group, and the return included physical activities, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, communication, social skills, cognitive development, occupational workshops and leisure activities at once.