Prevalence and severity of COVID-19 among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders in the Republic of Korea.
Autism
; : 13623613231160631, 2023 Mar 19.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2288149
ABSTRACT
LAY ABSTRACT It is more difficult to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, as they have trouble communicating and adjusting to their new daily lives like wearing masks and social distancing. However, there have not been many studies that focused on coronavirus disease 2019 among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. We included all Korean citizens under the age of 19 as our study subjects. Among them, we found out the prevalence, severity, and case fatality of coronavirus disease 2019 in children and adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder. The prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder was lower than that of those without autism spectrum disorder. For severity, children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to enter severe stages of disease and had higher hospitalization rates than those without autism spectrum disorder. There were no deaths among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, while a few died among children and adolescents without autism spectrum disorder. However, due to the small number of deaths, it was difficult to determine whether there was a link between autism spectrum disorder and coronavirus disease 2019 deaths. We found that the appropriate quarantine policies have played a great role in sustaining overall low prevalence and higher hospitalization rates among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder than those without autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, because Korea has fewer schools and facilities (i.e. personal care, social training, and skilled nursing facility) for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder than other countries, those with autism spectrum disorder have fewer social contacts than even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Autism
Journal subject:
Psychology
/
Psychiatry
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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