The Impact of COVID-19 on the Adaptive Functioning, Behavioral Problems, and Repetitive Behaviors of Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Observational Study

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families have represented a fragile population on which the extreme circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak may have doubly impaired. Interruption of therapeutical interventions delivered in-person and routine disruption constituted some of the main challenges they had to face. This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on adaptive functioning, behavioral problems, and repetitive behaviors of children with ASD. In a sample of 85 Italian ASD children (mean age 7 years old; 68 males, 17 females), through a comparison with a baseline evaluation performed during the months preceding COVID-19, we evaluated whether after the compulsory home confinement any improvement or worsening was reported by parents of ASD individuals using standardized instruments (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (Second Edition), Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised). No significant worsening in the adaptive functioning, problematic, and repetitive behaviors emerged after the compulsory home confinement. Within the schooler children, clinical stability was found in reference to both adaptive skills and behavioral aspects, whereas within preschoolers, a significant improvement in adaptive skills emerged and was related to the subsistence of web-delivered intervention, parental work continuance, and online support during the lockdown.

A Systematic Review on the Impact of the Social Confinement on People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Siracusano et al, [ 82 ] conducted an observational study on a sample of 85 children (aged 2–18 years) recruited from the clinical database of the Child Psychiatry Unit of the University of Rome Tor Vergata Hospital. Having diagnostic information and pre-confinement status by COVID-19, they develop an observation with measures such as the ABAS-II [ 83 ], RBS-R [ 84 ], and CBCL [ 78 ].…”

Parental Stress and Disability in Offspring: A Snapshot during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Imposed home confinement, interruption of in-person interventions, school closure, remote working and job loss, represent extra difficulties for caregivers of children with disabilities belonging to several countries [18,19].…”

CRISIS AFAR: An International Collaborative Study of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth with Autism and Neurodevelopmental Conditions

“…With one exception, 20 the first wave of studies documenting the impact of the pandemic on ASD/NDD youth has consistently reported worsening behavioral and/or emotional problems, 12,16,17,49,50 ASD symptoms, 49,51 and/or sleep disruptions. 10,12,50,52 Our results underscore that solely focusing on group-level effects leads to an incomplete picture of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on ASD/NDD.…”

“…The initial adaptation was developed in English and then translated into five other languages and updated with rewordings in consultation with the larger AFAR network. The final version 0.5.1 of AFAR Parent/Caregiver Baseline Form (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) included 96 independent items, with 34 questions asked twice for Prior and Current timepoints; AFAR is freely available for use by other investigators. 29…”

“…[3][4][5] Empirical reports support this notion highlighting disruptions in ongoing care [6][7][8][9] and increases in behavioral and emotional difficulties in youth with NDD since the start of the pandemic. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Here, we report our international effort to assess heterogeneity in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and predictors of outcomes in previously well-characterized youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or other NDD.…”