Parents’ perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 and school transition on autistic children’s friendships

Abstract

Friendships play a key role in supporting a successful transition to a new school for autistic children and young people. However, little is known about how these relationships have been impacted by restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore how parents perceived the impact of COVID-19 on their autistic child’s friendships during transition to a new school. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 14 parents of autistic children in the United Kingdom. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Parents discussed a variety of experiences, which differed between and within school types and age groups. Several factors influenced children’s friendships during transition including support from their new school and others’ understanding of their needs. Parents described the differing expectations of what friendship was and how that affected their children’s existing and new relationships. For some, COVID-19 negatively impacted on friendships by reducing contact with existing and new friends. Others experienced positive or neutral experiences due to lockdown restrictions. This study highlights the diversity of needs among autistic children and calls for a personalised approach to transition support beyond the pandemic as one way of supporting autistic children to develop positive peer relationships. Lay abstract Research shows that moving schools can be a challenging time for autistic children and young people. One factor that has been found to support successful transition is friendships. However, there is little research exploring how transition between schools affects autistic children’s friendships, and even less on how children’s relationships during transition have been impacted by COVID-19. Fourteen parents of autistic children and young people were interviewed about their child’s move to a new school and the impact they felt this had on their friendships. Parents described how moving with existing friends helped some children to find the transition less challenging. Others had differing experiences, with their children’s friendships playing a much smaller role in the move. Differences were also seen with regard to the impact of COVID-19, with some parents speaking of how hard being away from friends was for their child, while others found the social restrictions a welcome break from interacting with peers. The study highlights how different the experiences of autistic individuals, and their parents, can be and the importance of a child-centred approach to transition support.

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with autism spectrum disorder and their mothers in Japan

“…Second, regarding neutral effects, as stated by M 2 , "I do not think C 2 was confused because he likes staying at home" (see the category "maintain mental health" in Table 6), and similar to the findings of Asbury et al (2022), the lack of social contact prior to the pandemic left it unaffected. Children were not affected because their lives had not changed significantly, as indicated by C 6 : "Now I spend the day in the same way as I did before the pandemic" (see the category "embrace normalcy" in Table 6).…”

“…In broader domains, including social interactions and communication (e.g. Fox et al, 2022), negative aspects extend to the deterioration of mental health (Asbury et al, 2021; Daulay, 2021; Pellicano et al, 2022; Rogers et al, 2021), difficulties in adaptation to remote learning (Amirova et al, 2022; Bozkus-Genc & Sani-Bozkurt, 2022; Heyworth et al, 2021; Majoko & Dudu, 2020; Meral, 2021), disruption of family routines (Bozkus-Genc & Sani-Bozkurt, 2022; Meral, 2021), and increased problem behaviors of children (Amirova et al, 2022; Daulay, 2021; Latzer et al, 2021; Meral, 2021). Some of the factors contributing to these negative effects suggest that parents of children with ASD generally experience higher levels of parental stress than those of typically developing children (Hayes & Watson, 2013; Osborne & Reed, 2009), and it is highly plausible that their stress might be magnified during a pandemic (Corbett et al, 2021).…”

“…Further, most parents reported that they and their children demonstrated both negative and positive changes in various domains. For example, Fox et al (2022) surveyed parents' perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on the friendships of their children with ASD during the transition to a new school in December 2020. COVID-19 has negatively impacted friendships by reducing contact with existing and new friends and their parents.…”

“I’m able to function better when I know there's a beginning and an end time”: Autistic adolescents’ experiences of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…However, for others, the enforced reduction in social contact brought respite from problematic peer relationships at school and the opportunity for more positive interactions either online or in less crowded social spaces. In an interview study with parents, Fox et al (2022) reported a similarly diverse range of impacts of the pandemic on autistic children's friendships.…”

Parent perceptions of social well‐being in children with special educational needs during COVID‐19: A mixed‐methods analysis

“…For children with autism, several studies in a range of countries found that social isolation experienced during school closures led to difficulties with emotional regulation, loneliness, behavioural difficulties, and higher anxiety levels (e.g., Amorim et al, 2020; Fox et al, 2023; Hamilton et al, 2023; Pellicano et al, 2021; Simpson & Adams, 2022). These same studies also found, however, that a small number of children in their sample experienced relief from social challenges and pressures.…”