ABSTRACT
Digital technologies have the potential to empower individuals with autism and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized and accelerated the drive towards technology for information, communication, training, clinical care and research, also in the autism community. However, 95% of individuals with autism live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where access to electricity, internet and the ever-increasing range of digital devices may be highly limited. The World Bank coined the term 'the digital divide' to describe the disparities in access to digital technologies between high-income and LMIC contexts. Here we evaluated the feasibility of six emerging technologies for autism spectrum disorders, and reflected on key considerations for implementation in LMIC contexts to ensure that we do not inadvertently widen the pre-existing digital divide.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autistic Disorder , COVID-19 , Digital Divide , Autism Spectrum Disorder/therapy , Autistic Disorder/therapy , Developing Countries , Feasibility Studies , Humans , Pandemics , TechnologyABSTRACT
LAY ABSTRACT: COVID-19 caused many autism spectrum disorder caregiver-coaching studies to move to telehealth. Telehealth can increase the diversity of people who take part in research. This matters because most autism spectrum disorder studies have included people who have resources, are White, and live in North America and Europe. When study participants are similar, it is hard to understand which interventions can help different types of people who live in different parts of the world. While telehealth may allow more people to take part in research, it needs to "fit" the local context and consider the "digital divide" because many people around the world have no access to computers and the Internet. This short report describes changes to two research studies that include caregiver coaching based on the Early Start Denver Model in the United States and South Africa. We describe how the local context, including technology and Internet access, guided the telehealth approach. By doing so, we highlight ways to make telehealth available to more people around the world. The pandemic can help us understand how telehealth can "fit" diverse places and support high-quality research. It is important that study changes are tracked and we assess how well the changes work. COVID-19 telehealth changes to caregiver coaching can result in new ways to reach more people around the world.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autistic Disorder , COVID-19 , Mentoring , Telemedicine , Autism Spectrum Disorder/therapy , Caregivers , Child , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , South Africa , United StatesABSTRACT
COVID-19 has magnified the disparities in African communities and emphasised the importance of context, not only for autism research, but for all health research in low-resource settings to ensure that we reduce, rather than increase, pre-existing disparities. The time of COVID-19 has forced autism researchers in Africa to reflect on our goals and methods for socially-responsive and socially responsible research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This article notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted ASD clinical research across the globe. The author maintains that as scientists hurry to find ways to continue their research, many have found feasible solutions to support remote diagnosis, assessment, and treatment that may improve access for all and increase the representativeness of participants in clinical research. In the midst of the pandemic, clear and rapid guidance from universities and institutional review boards facilitated adaption of in-person diagnostic evaluations, assessments, and behavioural interventions to an online platform. The pandemic offers a unique opportunity to understand and document the challenges and successes of research conducted online. During the pandemic, we have a chance to better understand how remote assessments and treatments should be adapted to provide reliable scientific results, while maximizing the contextual and cultural fit within each service setting, accounting for preferences of end-users. It is critical that our study adaptations and their feasibility be documented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)