The Digital Divide in Technologies for Autism: Feasibility Considerations for Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

Digital technologies have the potential to empower individuals with autism and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized and accelerated the drive towards technology for information, communication, training, clinical care and research, also in the autism community. However, 95% of individuals with autism live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where access to electricity, internet and the ever-increasing range of digital devices may be highly limited. The World Bank coined the term ‘the digital divide’ to describe the disparities in access to digital technologies between high-income and LMIC contexts. Here we evaluated the feasibility of six emerging technologies for autism spectrum disorders, and reflected on key considerations for implementation in LMIC contexts to ensure that we do not inadvertently widen the pre-existing digital divide.

A qualitative examination of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents with autism and their parents

“…Very few participants highlighted difficulties accessing technology, which is consistent with the relatively high socioeconomic status of the current sample. As recently summarized by Kumm et al, 2021 , it is essential that future research closely examine the experiences of lower income families with telelearning and teleservices to better understand and minimize disparities within the ASD community.…”

Teaching Special Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study

“…In addition, they also support students' safety skills, vocabulary development, and reading skills and as necessary their speech. In turn, this can facilitate students' confidence and participation in class discussions enabling them to learn better (Anoyiannakis, 2013;Kumm, Viljoen, & de Vries, 2021).…”

“…From the perspective of families of children with disabilities the potential of current technological solutions to support the challenges they face daily provides much hope. Many families across the world need individually adapted practical support as well as financial support (Kumm et al, 2021). They especially need support that takes into consideration the situation of the whole family as a group.…”

Rethinking autism spectrum disorder assessment for children during COVID‐19 and beyond

“…We must also anticipate and track how a shift to newer technologies and platforms could inadvertently magnify the cultural and socioeconomic disparities that currently exist (i.e., the “digital divide”) (Crawford & Serhal, 2020 ; Kumm et al, 2021 ; Smith et al, 2020 ). There will be new barriers related to technological capacity and literacy, as underserved families are likely to have less access to needed equipment (i.e., computer, smart phone, or tablet), limited or unreliable internet connection, and less comfort using the internet for healthcare services (Anderson‐Lewis et al, 2018 ; Huh et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Access to ASD assessment and services is often exacerbated in low and middle income countries (LMIC), which have long experienced more basic issues, including knowledge gaps, the shortage of trained clinicians, the stigma of ASD, cultural differences of varying health care systems, lack of resources for treatment and support, and lack of culturally‐sensitive and language‐appropriate screening and diagnostic tools (Durkin et al, 2015 ). While telehealth has been useful in some settings (Franz et al, 2021), many LMIC face a “digital divide” by not having adequate or consistent internet access to deliver telehealth (Franz et al, 2017 ; Kumm et al, 2021 ). Such barriers have also been described within higher income countries, particularly in remote and rural areas (Fisk et al, 2020 ).…”