Autism and Covid-19

 People living with autism and the effects of Covid-19 on their autistic behaviors.

By Liberty Pazvakawambwa.

Autism is defined as a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. Autism (spectrum disorder) impacts the nervous system. Signs and symptoms of autism vary widely. Common symptoms include difficulty with social interactions, difficulty with communication and repetitive behaviors. Developmental experiences of autism may include learning disability or speech delay in a child. Psychological experiences are being unaware of others’ emotions or depression. There are many people living with autism spectrum disorder which mainly affects children and cannot be cured but can be treated, it also usually lasts for years or can be lifelong. Such a disease requires medical diagnosis. During the pandemic, people with autism spectrum disorder have been affected psychologically and mentally. Young individuals with autism are particularly at risk due to their vulnerability to unpredictable complex changes.

The coronavirus disease (covid-19) has been recognized already as a cause of direct and indirect psychological and social outcomes that might impact on mental health. Since late January 2020 when Covid-19 was announced a pandemic, most countries around the world have been placed under mass quarantine. Among the effects of quarantine or lockdown which have been explored before, there are stress disorders, anxiety, poor concentration, high psychological distress and depressive symptoms.

Individuals suffering from autism spectrum disorder need necessary skills for them to be taken care of. They need patience, to be supported and be inspired. A person living under such a condition needs to be involved in some activities outdoors, it is great therapy for them. The moment that they are left using autism as an excuse for not being involved, the conditions worsens because they will not be able to figure out what will be going on, which causes them more confusion.

In the case of living under the covid-19 era, it has become difficult for families with individuals suffering from autism because of the home quarantine and national lockdowns. No one is allowed to go out and be involved in any activity outdoors, this makes one feel caged because they will not be able to engage with others and find their niche.

Moreover, when an individual starts acting out, behaving abnormally, with signs of autism, they have to be diagnosed so that everything makes sense to those who will be living with them. When one is diagnosed, people will be able to know how to respond to their behaviours and become more patient and empathetic.

During the era of the pandemic, many service centers and training centers have been reported closed and some ended up permanently closing due to the situation. These centers offer specific support that the autistic individuals may need to preserve their mental health through the pandemic.

In China for instance, Covid-19 aroused great challenges for autism spectrum disorder families for which they worked with China Association of Persons with Psychiatric Disability and their Relatives (CAPPDR). This is the biggest national autism organization in charge of all the services of autism spectrum disorder in China. The organization conducted an online survey researching the mental health of people with autism and related disorders along with their caregivers. Potential behavioral and developmental problems and parent-child relationships during the Covid-19 pandemic have also been investigated.

The organization, gathered data which stated that “46% of the caregivers had depression, 44% had anxiety and the other 44,62% were stressed”, Wang.C (2020). They discovered that there was urgent need to elevate their involvement in functional social support and the application of behavioral skills with their children to help them decrease the impact of physical and psychological effects of the pandemic.

They stated that, during the covid-19 outbreak, regular health check-ups and vaccines for younger children were all by appointment in community-based hospitals and clinics. These helped to maintain social distance and guaranteed the service. However, the number of out-patient and in-patient decreased to a larger extent which affected the timely diagnosis, clinical practice and the treatment of autism spectrum disorder. In most hospitals, especially in cities like Beijing where covid-19 outbreak was under strict control, in-patients followed “no new admission, no discharge” regulations to avoid the mobility of patients and possible spread of the infection.

Another study shows a conducted research on parents and guardians of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The survey consisted of questions investigating socio-demographic and clinical attributes of their children. It also looked at the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on their wellbeing and needs to deal with the emergency. Most parents have been facing challenges in taking care of their autistic children during the pandemic. The study shows that 42% of autistic individuals have presented more intense and more frequent disruptive behaviours.

Most parents with children who are autistic state that it is best for children to be offered in-home healthcare support, only if one affords of which some cannot, followed by the need for center-based healthcare support which is conducted by professional caregivers and also some parents stated that the lockdown restrictions must be loosened.

Narzisi (2013) states that, “Consistent with previous reports of executive functioning deficits making the ASD individuals more vulnerable to routine disruption.” A large number of parents complained about failing to manage their children’s daily activities, particularly in terms of free time and structured activities.

In addition, autistic individuals who are not receiving school support since the covid-19 outbreak tend to express more intense behavior problems, suggesting the importance of maintaining contact with the school during the quarantine. The study states that, “Increasing age and living with a single parent were associated with a reduction in the likelihood of exhibiting more intense behaviors, while not receiving the indirect school support during the emergency tended to be associated with an increased likelihood of exhibiting more intense behavior problems.”

However, covid-19 has boosted the quick development and application of digital technology in training parents online, remotely monitoring intervention implementation and attending conferences virtually.

 

REFERENCES

Wang, C. (2020). Depression, anxiety, stress and social support of parents of children with ASD and other developmental disorders during the COVID-19. Under review [Google Scholar].

Narzisi, A. (2013). Neuropsychological Profile in High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. J. Autism Dev. Disord. [Google Scholar]