Serving Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Age of COVID-19: Special Considerations for Rural Families

This position paper explores the needs of rural families of children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the age of COVID-19. Prior to COVID-19, literature portrays elevated stress in families of individuals with ASD and health and socioeconomic disparities for rural and underserved populations. These disparities were exacerbated due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns and economic turmoil. Academic and adaptive skills training were particularly impacted due to school closures, with parents tasked with taking some responsibility for training these skills. Our goals for this article focus on special considerations for rural families regarding (a) neurobiological and developmental impacts of stressful experiences like COVID-19, (b) delineation of the impacts on individuals with ASD and other comorbid and related conditions, and (c) education and intervention needs during these times. Finally, we offer suggestions for future care during pandemic events, including recommendations for improving service delivery under such conditions. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Rural Special Education Quarterly is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

COVID-19 and autism research: Perspectives from around the globe: Impact of COVID-19 on autism research: Reflections from Alabama

The authors write of the difficulties Alabama has had for ASD services during the COVID-19 pandemic especially as research is one of the few for families to join interventions. However, Alabama researchers have strengthened networking within the state and across the country to share innovations and solutions to support individual and shared research goals. Research teams and their institutions have been forced to explore alternative strategies for research, which may result in improved family-centred research (e.g., reduced travel time gained by telehealth) post-COVID. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)