Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul 22;11(1):61.
doi: 10.1186/s13229-020-00365-y.

Coping, fostering resilience, and driving care innovation for autistic people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Stephanie H Ameis  1   2   3 , Meng-Chuan Lai  4   5   6   7   8 , Benoit H Mulsant  9   10 , Peter Szatmari  9   11   10
Affiliations

Coping, fostering resilience, and driving care innovation for autistic people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Stephanie H Ameis et al. Mol Autism. .

Abstract

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is changing how society operates. Environmental changes, disrupted routines, and reduced access to services and social networks will have a unique impact on autistic individuals and their families and will contribute to significant deterioration in some. Access to support is crucial to address vulnerability factors, guide adjustments in home environments, and apply mitigation strategies to improve coping. The current crisis highlights that our regular care systems are not sufficient to meet the needs of the autism communities. In many parts of the world, people have shifted to online school and increased use of remote delivery of healthcare and autism supports. Access to these services needs to be increased to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 and future epidemics/pandemics. The rapid expansion in the use of telehealth platforms can have a positive impact on both care and research. It can help to address key priorities for the autism communities including long waitlists for assessment and care, access to services in remote locations, and restricted hours of service. However, system-level changes are urgently needed to ensure equitable access and flexible care models, especially for families and individuals who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. COVID-19 mandates the use of technology to support a broader range of care options and better meet the diverse needs of autistic people and their families. It behooves us to use this crisis as an opportunity to foster resilience not only for a given individual or their family, but also the system: to drive enduring and autism-friendly changes in healthcare, social systems, and the broader socio-ecological contexts.

Keywords: Autism; COVID-19; Equity; Health services; Pandemic; Resilience; SARS-CoV-2 virus; Telehealth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Lyall K, Croen L, Daniels J, Fallin MD, Ladd-Acosta C, Lee BK, Park BY, Snyder NW, Schendel D, Volk H, et al. The changing epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders. Annu Rev Public Health. 2017;38:81–102. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lai MC, Kassee C, Besney R, Bonato S, Hull L, Mandy W, Szatmari P, Ameis SH. Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry. 2019;6(10):819–829. - PubMed
    1. Muskens JB, Velders FP, Staal WG. Medical comorbidities in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(9):1093–1103. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lai MC, Anagnostou E, Wiznitzer M, Allison C, Baron-Cohen S. Evidence-based support for autistic people across the lifespan: maximising potential, minimising barriers, and optimising the person-environment fit. Lancet Neurol. 2020;19(5):434–451. - PubMed
    1. Amaral DG, de Vries PJ. COVID-19 and autism research: perspectives from around the globe. Autism Res. 2020;13(6):844–869. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources