A Longitudinal Examination of Autism Services, Child Adaptive Functioning, and Parent Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study followed 146 families with autistic children during COVID-19, from 2020-2021. Good news: both children's daily living skills and parent wellbeing improved after lockdowns ended. Parents felt better physically when their child received more services, and felt better socially when their child's repetitive behaviors decreased. The research shows families bounced back well after the difficult early pandemic period.

This longitudinal study followed 146 caregivers of children with autism (average age 8.2 years) across four time points from summer 2020 to summer 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research examined changes in autism service intensity, child adaptive functioning, and caregiver quality of life. Results showed that both child adaptive functioning and caregiver quality of life improved over time after stay-at-home orders were lifted. Increased service intensity was associated with better caregiver physical quality of life, while reductions in child repetitive behaviors correlated with improved caregiver social and environmental quality of life.

The findings suggest resilience in families affected by autism following the initial pandemic disruptions.

Results emphasize the importance of maintaining autism service provision during crises and targeting repetitive behaviors in interventions. The demonstrated family resilience suggests recovery is possible following service disruptions, though adequate support remains crucial for optimal caregiver wellbeing and family functioning.

The study relied on caregiver self-report measures which may introduce bias. The sample was predominantly mothers (87%), limiting generalizability to other caregivers. Long-term outcomes beyond one year post-pandemic are unknown.

The delivery of services to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was disrupted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which may have affected child functioning and caregiver quality of life (QoL). This study examined changes in service intensity, child adaptive functioning, and caregiver QoL during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 146 caregivers (87% mothers) of children with ASD (M age = 8.22 years; SD = 4.21) who were invited to complete an online survey about service intensity, child functioning, and caregiver QoL at four time points between the summer of 2020 and the summer of 2021. Simple regressions indicated that child adaptive functioning and caregiver QoL increased over time after stay-at-home orders were lifted.

Fixed effects regression models indicated that increases in service intensity were associated with concurrent increases in caregiver physical QoL. Decreases in child repetitive behaviors were associated with concurrent increases in caregiver social and environmental QoL. These findings suggest that children and their caregivers demonstrated resilience in the year after stay-at-home orders were lifted. Additionally, service intensity and child repetitive behaviors may impact caregiver QoL, making these variables areas of opportunity for stakeholders and professionals.