Caregivers' Experiences Taking Care of Children and Teenagers With Autism Spectrum Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand: A Qualitative Approach.

This study looked at how 15 Thai families coped with caring for their autistic children during COVID-19. Parents faced challenges with their children's changing behaviors like less social interaction, more repetitive behaviors, eating problems, and too much screen time. Parents had to adapt their care approaches and felt stressed and anxious. The research suggests healthcare professionals should help parents learn how to manage these behavioral changes and reduce stress, possibly through phone or video calls when in-person support isn't available.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of 15 caregivers caring for children and teenagers with autism in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, researchers identified four main themes: behavioral difficulties (decreased social connection, increased self-stimulation, eating dysregulation, excessive screen time), caregiving adaptations (modified developmental training and infection prevention strategies), emotional challenges (anxiety and stress), and community assistance (food and medicine delivery). The study highlights the significant impact of pandemic-related disruptions on autistic children's behaviors and their caregivers' wellbeing, emphasizing the need for healthcare professionals to provide targeted behavioral management guidance and stress reduction support through accessible platforms like telemedicine.

Healthcare professionals should provide targeted guidance on managing behavioral changes in autistic children during disruptions. Telemedicine platforms can deliver essential support when in-person services are unavailable. Caregiver stress reduction strategies should be integrated into autism support services. Community-based assistance programs may complement professional interventions during crisis periods.

Small sample size of 15 participants limits generalizability. Study conducted in Thailand may not reflect experiences in other cultural contexts. Qualitative design provides rich detail but cannot establish causal relationships. No comparison with pre-pandemic experiences or control groups.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children and teenagers with autism exhibited behavioral changes, which contributed to increased parenting stress. This study focused on caregivers' experiences in Thailand, as they often lacked information on how to address these issues, and it may serve as a valuable source of essential information for further interventions for parents. To explore caregivers' experiences while caring for children and teenagers with autism. The researcher conducted a qualitative study to explore caregivers' experiences regarding caregiving for children and teenagers with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 15 participants, who were caregivers, were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire until data saturation was achieved. The data set was transcribed verbatim by professionals and analyzed using thematic analysis. The participants' experiences were reflected in four themes: (a) facing difficulties with behavioral changes; the caregivers faced the behaviors changing such as decreasing connecting behaviors, children's self-stimulating behaviors, losing control of their eating, and time spent watching their screens (b) caring adaptation: caregivers adapted their caregiving strategies to manage child-developmental training and infection prevention; (c) confronting emotions: caregivers experienced anxiety and stress while caring for their children; and (d) assistance: caregivers received help from local volunteers who delivered food and medicine. The caregivers' experiences included dealing with changing behaviors, adapting to care, and facing negative emotions while caring for their loved ones.

Health professionals should provide parents with information about managing changing behaviors and reducing parenting stress. Additionally, they should deliver information via alternative platforms, such as telemedicine phone calls, when needed.