Parental Views of Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic

J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Apr;52(4):1712-1724. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05070-0. Epub 2021 May 15.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus detected in December 2019 by World Health Organization (WHO), has detrimentally impacted human life in a variety of areas. Many concepts including outbreak, pandemic, and quarantine have been an inseparable part of our lives. This kind of dialectic change naturally affects persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disorders (DD) and their families. The present study using a mixed-method evaluation aims to reveal the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the family functioning of children specifically with ASD in Turkey. This study promises a holistic understanding of how the lockdown depending on the COVID -19 pandemic affects families and their children with ASD with positive and negative sides.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic; Families; Mixed-method evaluation.

MeSH terms

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19*
  • Child
  • Communicable Disease Control
  • Developmental Disabilities / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Parents

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