Designing Emergency Preparedness Resources for Children with Autism

Edmonds, Casey

doi:10.1080/1034912x.2016.1264577

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Yet, there seems to be scant evidence on how individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions worldwide, react to disaster conditions. With the numerous disasters worldwide of terrorist attacks, tsunamis, hurricanes, bombings, and earthquakes, the lack of focus on their psychological implications for children with ASD started coming to attention (2). Yet, beyond one study showing individuals with ASD to have decreased adaptive behaviors after exposure to an earthquake, and another indicating disaster awareness training to increase disaster preparedness of children with ASD, there is no data on how individuals with ASD react to disasters in general (3,4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Implications of the Covid-19 Process for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Individuals' Comprehension of and Reactions to the Pandemic Conditions

2020

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During disasters and pandemics, vulnerable populations such as patients with mental conditions are known to be overly influenced. Yet, not much is known about how the individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions globally with a prevalence of 1%, are affected from health-related disasters, especially the current Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, we conducted an investigation of how individuals with ASD responded to Covid-19 in terms of comprehension and adherence to implemented measures; changes in their behavioral problems; and how their caregivers' anxiety levels relate with these behavioral changes. Our sample consisted of 87 individuals with ASD (15 girls; ages ranged from 3–29, with an average of 13.96 ± 6.1). The majority of our sample had problems understanding what Covid-19 is and the measures it requires. They also had challenges in implementing social distance and hygiene-related regulations of the pandemic. The majority stopped receiving special education during this period. We observed a Covid-19-related clinical presentation that resembled PTSD in individuals with ASD in terms of increased stereotypies, aggression, hypersensitivity, behavioral problems, and sleep and appetite alterations. All subscales of Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) differed significantly between before and after the pandemic conditions. The number of hours the children slept significantly decreased from before to during Covid-19. The anxiety levels of caregivers were high and correlated with the current behavioral problem levels of their children, but not with the level of their behavioral problems before the pandemic. The difference in ABC total score and specifically the lethargy/social withdrawal subscale score predicted parents' anxiety score. Our results suggest that the Covid-19 period inflicts specific challenges to individuals with ASD and their caregivers, underlining the need for targeted, distance special education interventions and other support services for this population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Implications of the Covid-19 Process for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Individuals' Comprehension of and Reactions to the Pandemic Conditions

2020

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“…Another explored how traumatic events affect children with autism, and proposed that they are at an increased risk to suffer from trauma-related psychopathology (Kerns et al, 2015). An additional important report (Edmonds, 2017) noted that children with disabilities are often forgotten even when emergency planning is in place.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Core experiences of parents of children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Latzer

Leitner

Karnieli‐Miller

2021

Autism

159

110

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The lockdown that was imposed by governments as part of the attempt to contain the COVID-19 pandemic included extreme measures, such as home confinement and the shutting down of special education systems. Our aim was to learn about the core experiences of parents of children with autism during this significant life disturbance. Thirty-one parents of 25 children with autism participated in semi-structured telephone interviews which were transcribed verbatim and underwent a qualitative, immersion/crystallization analysis. The analysis was conducted in an iterative consensus-building process to identify parents’ experiences, concerns, challenges, coping strategies, and perceived needs during the lockdown. The main themes that emerged related to the various parental concerns; the major difficulties encountered during this unique time, the functional, social, and behavioral implications the lockdown had on these children; and the manner in which the parents coped as an indication of their resourcefulness and outlook. Our findings broaden the insight into the underlying elements of the hardships and gains experienced by children with autism and their parents in times of significant life adversity. Programs in such times should be directed at supporting and guiding parents on how to better accommodate to the situation, thereby optimizing their coping strategies and resilience. Lay abstract The lockdown and home isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant transformation in lifestyles. Being a parent in this situation was not easy for anyone, much less for parents of children with special needs. The shutting down of special education systems meant that parents lost a vital support network and had to be the sole full-time caregivers despite often lacking the skills to cope with this new and daunting situation. We interviewed parents and learned that the main difficulties faced by homebound autistic children stemmed from the change in routine, lack of special education services, limited physical space, and food- and sleep-related issues. Some children experienced worsening in behavioral, social, and developmental domains, yet others seemed to not only overcome the challenges of changing conditions but even benefit from them. The children’s success or failure was directly related to how their parents coped. The key factors that enabled successful coping were the parents’ ability to accommodate to the child’s needs, their own creativeness and resourcefulness, and a generally positive outlook. The results of this analysis revealed that the best way to benefit autistic children caught up in drastic changes in their routine lifestyle is to invest in a strong support system for their parents.

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“…Therefore, the teachers need specialized training to deal with such situations that occur during disasters. 37 Guardians must reach out to the disaster management personnel to resolve this problem which has been highlighted through surveys. Teachers and guardians need to consider the measures for dealing with disasters during classes in order to reduce the resistance to evacuation.…”

Section: Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residents’ Concerns Regarding Schools Designated as Evacuation Shelters

Kawasaki

Takeuchi

Rahman

et al. 2021

Disaster med. public health prep.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of residents who are knowledgeable about the schools used as shelters. Methods: The target group was comprised of teachers and guardians of children enrolled in 4 schools, which were selected in the vicinity of District B, which was severely damaged by heavy rain in 2014. A qualitative descriptive study design was used. Results: The number of surveys collected was 1702 (collection rate 62.2%). A total of 1017 clauses were entered, and 85 codes were generated for 7 categories. The guardians and teachers believed that there was a discrepancy between shelter capacity and the real situation; citing a lack of information, and ill preparedness of the schools for disasters as some of the problems. Based on the knowledge and experiences from previous disasters, they responded that there was inadequate management, and evacuees faced difficulty living comfortably in the shelters. Conclusion: In order to use school facilities during any disaster, it is important for residents to recognize the need to solve problems, and to work with local governments to support improvements. This realization reveals a sense of ownership of emergency shelters and prevents confusion among residents. Also, this will help people to prepare for disasters and prevent disruption during evacuation.

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Designing Emergency Preparedness Resources for Children with Autism

Cited by 27 publications

References 44 publications

Behavioral Implications of the Covid-19 Process for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Individuals' Comprehension of and Reactions to the Pandemic Conditions

Behavioral Implications of the Covid-19 Process for Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Individuals' Comprehension of and Reactions to the Pandemic Conditions

Core experiences of parents of children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Residents’ Concerns Regarding Schools Designated as Evacuation Shelters

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