Beyond the Pandemic: Lasting Lessons & a Systematic Review of COVID-19's Effects on Autistic People

What is it about?

The COVID-19 pandemic was not just a health crisis; it created new challenges for people with autism spectrum disorder and their families, while also teaching us valuable lessons about how to better support them. In this article, we systematically review the research to examine the various impacts of the pandemic on the lives of people with autism and their caregivers (including the challenges and solutions used). For example, we examine challenges such as increased anxiety and stress, economic hardship, sleep disturbances, increased screen time, interruptions in speech therapy and rehabilitation services, etc. We also examine a variety of solutions, the most important of which is telehealth. Although this approach has many benefits, it also has disadvantages, which we have examined. Finally, based on our research, we propose a combined approach using telehealth and face-to-face services to provide diagnostic and therapeutic services for people with autism. We believe that this approach could be implemented both during times of crisis and under normal circumstances, potentially improving the efficiency of the diagnostic and therapeutic system for people with autism.

Featured Image

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash