The Challenges of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Comorbidity during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Serbia.
Psychiatr Danub
; 34(3): 587-594, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2146180
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience significantly higher prevalence of other mental disorders, which amplifies their need for overall support. The outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in restrictions and limited access to different services with great challenge for families and children with ASD. SUBJECTS ANDMETHODS:
We used an electronic SurveyMonkey questionnaire to examine the experiences of 114 caregivers of children with ASD. We compared (a) level of support by the child's school, changes in child behavior, and priority needs for families of ASD and ASD with comorbidities (ASD+) children, during pandemic, and (b) developmental history and diagnosis for ASD and ASD+ children before the pandemic.RESULTS:
Our research shows significant behavioral difficulties in the population with ASD and ASD+ that arose in the field of altered living conditions and overall functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistically significant results comparing ASD to ASD+ children we found in area of getting additional help and support before the outbreak of the pandemic (47.1% vs 16.0%, p=0.002), as well as in worsening of sleep problems, statistically significant more common in children with ASD+ (ASD+ 47.7% vs. ASD 25.7%, p=0.046).CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings can contribute to the faster development and implementation of protocols for dealing with situations such as pandemics, related to the vulnerable population of children with ASD and their caregivers.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Autism Spectrum Disorder
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychiatr Danub
Journal subject:
Psychiatry
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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