Comparing the initial impact of COVID-19 on burden and psychological distress among family caregivers of children with and without developmental disabilities.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is presenting challenges for families (Cluver et al., The Lancet, 2020), which may be exacerbated for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (DDs; Center on the Developing Child, Stress, hope, and the role of science: Responding to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020). The purpose of this study was to explore caregiver burden and psychological distress among caregivers of children with DD as compared to caregivers of typically developing children across the United States as a result of COVID-19. Between 2 weeks and 1 month following COVID-19-related school closures, a total of 460 caregivers from across the U.S. completed an online survey via Qualtrics; recruitment and initial survey completion occurred simultaneously. Of the total sample of eligible participants (N = 407), 225 were the primary caregiver of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 182 were the primary caregiver of a child without ASD/ADHD. Participants across groups indicated varying levels of exposure to COVID-19 and an impact of COVID-19 at the community and individual or family levels. However, caregivers of children with ASD/ADHD reported significantly higher levels of burden, depression, anxiety, and stress. Overall, findings are consistent with anecdotal and preliminary reports that all caregivers are experiencing COVID-19-related challenges, with caregivers of children with ASD/ADHD experiencing even greater challenges, particularly with regard to burden and psychological distress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Meeting the need: Creation of an online infection prevention course by the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing for direct support professionals during COVID-19.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that direct support professionals (DSPs) take additional steps to protect people with disabilities during COVID-19 and receive training on the use of personal protective equipment and infection prevention. The Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing identified this as an unmet need and created an online asynchronous course for DSPs on infection prevention and use of personal protective equipment to reduce transmission of COVID-19 among individuals with disabilities and DSPs. Constructivism, experiential learning theory, and active learning theory guided content development. The course used games to break-up dense information into more manageable chunks as a means to increase learner engagement and motivation. The course was delivered on a dynamic Learning Management System to allow for a variety of content authoring tools to be utilized. After evaluation, the course was disseminated to DSPs. Future directions include a broader infection protection course for DSPs, without a direct focus on COVID-19.

Examining the impact of COVID-19 in ethnically diverse families with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges to families with young children with developmental delays. Beyond the widespread concerns surrounding illness, loss of employment and social isolation, caregivers are responsible for overseeing their children's educational and therapeutic programmes at home often without the much needed support of professionals. METHOD: The present study sought to examine the impact of COVID-19 in 77 ethnically, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse families with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in California and Oregon, who were participating in larger intervention studies. Parents responded to five interview questions about the impact of the pandemic, services for their child, silver linings or positive aspects, coping and their concerns about the long-term impact of the pandemic. RESULTS: Parents reported that their biggest challenge was being at home caring for their children with the loss of many essential services. Parents reported some positive aspects of the pandemic, especially being together as a family. Although there were positive aspects of the situation, many parents expressed concern about long-term impacts of the pandemic on their children's development, given the loss of services, education and social engagement opportunities. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that parents of young children with IDD report significant challenges at home during the pandemic. Professional support, especially during the reopening phases, will be critical to support family well-being and child developmental outcomes.