Parent-Reported Behavioural Changes in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social interaction and reciprocal communication. During a pandemic, when social distancing becomes mandatory for all, both parents and children are not supported in-person by their therapists and cannot participate in usual therapies. This study reports the main clinical changes experienced by parents of children with during the first month of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Using standardized questionnaires, the families of 63 ASD children were interviewed in February and April 2020. Findings showed an increase in restricted and repetitive behaviours in about 30% of the sample; also, motor restlessness and sleep disturbances increased, with greater irritability and mood dysregulation. On the other hand, no changes emerged in personal self-care autonomies, in taste/smell sensitivity, and in auto or other-directed aggression. Despite the undeniable negative impact that lockdown can have on the psychosocial well-being of children, having maintained a continuity in supporting families, parental counselling (even if online and not in-person) helped families to redefine the meanings of behavioural changes of their children and to understand their adaptive functionality.

The Behavioural Outcomes of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities as Perceived by Parents during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…There have been studies conducted to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic symptomology outcomes and some studies have reported mixed results. For example, Di Renzo et al [11] measured outcomes such as inflexible, repetitive behaviours, self-care skills, hyperactivity and sleep, and children's sensory profile using the parentreport Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System-II (ABAS-II) [12], the ASD Behaviour Inventory (ASDBI) [13], and the short sensory profile [14]. Results from the ASDBI [13] showed increased scores of hyperactivity, fear in new situations, sleep regulation problems, moodiness and irritability.…”

Parent-reported social-communication changes in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

“…Therefore, the disruption to schools, minimised contact with peers, and reduced faceto-face support may have worsened the social communication challenges already experienced by a larger number of children living with ASD. In contrast, a recent study by Renzo et al (2020) indicated that despite behavioural problems worsening and symptomology intensifying in autistic children during the pandemic, parents reported improvements in their communicative relationships with their children. As a result, it is unclear what the actual impact of COVID-19 and the lockdowns may have been, and continue to be, for children diagnosed with ASD.…”

“…This may seem somewhat counterintuitive due to not being at school and socially isolating during the lockdown. However, Renzo et al (2020) reported that several parents, who completed their survey, noted an improvement in their child's verbal and non-verbal communication skills during the first month of lockdown in Italy. Our results indicated that over 90% of autistic children were not in school during the UK's first lockdown and many parents were often required to work from home or were furloughed during this lockdown period (Barker and Russell 2020, Burchell et al 2020, ONS 2020, Reuschke and Felstead 2020.…”

“…Due to the nature of this project, we relied on parents to recall their child's social skills prior to the UK lockdown (March 24 th ) and reflect on how their child's social skills may have changed up until the 22 nd of July (when most schools broke up for the summer holiday). The study relied on parents' perception of social-communication skills and behaviours associated with a stressful and unprecedented experience; as such, the potential for recall bias is concerning, and responses may be flawed by social desirability (Renzo et al 2020). Nevertheless, research suggests that blinding participants to the study's hypothesis and the specific factors being studied may help to reduce recall bias (Hassan 2005).…”

Mental health of children with neurodevelopmental disorders during COVID-19: A brief report of family experiences from a low and middle income country

“…We are also currently facing previously unknown situations like mass temporary unemployment, working from home, online homeschooling, rise in domestic violence, absolute lack of physical contact with friends/family, and restrictions within home space for prolonged periods (Colizzi et al, 2020;Di Renzo et al, 2020;Frankova, 2020;Kawabe et al, 2020;Parenteau et al, 2020). In parallel, fear of contracting the virus is still widely prevalent (Rajkumar, 2020;Roy et al, 2020;Singh et al, 2020).…”