Impact of COVID-19 on children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder living in the rural regions of Arizona.

Abstract

Little is known about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to services used by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in rural areas. This study examined COVID-19 impacts on services used for children with ASD in rural Northern Arizona using a parent-reported, online survey (N = 49). Results showed that parents, on average, experienced moderate to severe disruption in their child's ASD services due to COVID-19. The extent to which this disruption negatively impacted the child's ASD was strongly correlated with the extent to which the parent felt stressed or overwhelmed, as well as the extent to which the child's mental or emotional health was affected by COVID-19. Findings underscore the importance of ASD service continuity and continued innovations to meet this need in rural areas. Public Health Significance StatementFindings highlight the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on parents and children with autism residing in rural communities. Implications underscore the importance of attending to parental stress and well-being, targeted services such as parent-mediated interventions in the home, and a shift to increase care coordination efforts on the part of the provider to achieve public health impact. Additional implications for practice and future research are discussed.