Children and COVID-19 Research Library

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed unprecedented service interruptions in many sectors including services for children and youth with neuro-developmental disabilities (NDD). This study examined the experiences of service providers as they supported this population during the pandemic. Five focus groups were convened with 24 service providers offering support to children/youth with NDD and their families.

Although the benefits of regular physical activity are clearly expressed, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are less physically active than their typically developing peers. Recent empirical studies have revealed that the level of physical activity of children with ASD has further decreased during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has adversely affected the whole world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential efficacy of a Zoom-delivered physical activities for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Twenty-two families (parent and child dyads) participated in the study. Families were assigned randomly to an experimental group (n = 11) and a control group (n = 11). Families in the experimental group were engaged in 10 weeks of the Zoom-delivered physical activities. Data were collected using multiple data collection strategies (Personal Information Form- Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire–Semi-Structured Interview). After the Zoom-delivered physical activities, a significant increase was observed in the physical activity level of children with ASD in the experimental group (F = 95.396, p = 0.000, Ƞ2 = 0.834). Parents reported that Zoom-delivered physical activities are a viable and useful intervention to increase the level of physical activity of children with ASD.

Part 1 of this UK-based study, across four timepoints between March and October 2020, autistic children and young people showed higher levels of parent-reported depression and anxiety symptoms than those with other special educational needs and disabilities. This study draws on qualitative data from 478 parents/carers of autistic pupils and those with other special educational needs and disabilities to conduct a longitudinal qualitative content analysis examining stability and change in the mental health of these young people, and their parents/carers, during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Worry and psychological distress were dominant categories at all timepoints and it was noted that, in line with quantitative findings, worry in autistic pupils stayed stable over time but decreased for those with other special educational needs and disabilities. The third dominant category was wellbeing and there was evidence that removing demands, especially the demand to attend school, was a driver of wellbeing for a significant minority of pupils, particularly autistic pupils, and their parents/carers.

This study was aimed to determine the relationship between emotional competence, family social support and parental stress in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This research was a quantitative research with correlational method. Purposive sampling technique by distributing questionnaires using Google form resulted in a total of 165 participants who are mothers of children with ASD, as members of therapy centers and schools for children with special needs in Semarang, Solo and Yogyakarta. The data were analyzed using structural equation model (SEM) technique on Lisrel program. This research resulted in two models showing that there are fit model with empirical data. The first model shows that each of emotional competence and family social support had a significant effect on parental stress in mothers of children with ASD. The second model shows the influence of emotional competence on the stress of parenting of children with ASD, with family social support as a moderating variable. The implications of this study are empirical evidence on the importance of family social support and emotional competence for mothers in raising children with ASD to prevent excessive parental stress.

Between July 2020 and January 2021, 230 principal caregivers completed a questionnaire to measure proxy-assessed health-related quality of life outcomes (HRQoL), behavioral outcomes in children with syndromic autism spectrum disorders and COVID-19 induced changes to lifestyle and environments. HRQoL and behavioral outcomes reported earlier during the pandemic were generally worse compared to those reported later. COVID-19 induced reduction to a caregiver’s mental health appointments, and hours spent watching TV were associated with decreases in HRQoL and increased the likelihood of problematic behaviors. Increasing time outdoors and time away from digital devices were positively associated with HRQoL and behaviors and might protect children from COVID-19 induced restrictions.

The use of tele-rehabilitation in children was limited before the COVID-19 pandemic, due to culture, technology access, regulatory and reimbursement barriers. The study was conducted according to the CHERRIES (Checklist for reporting results of internet E-surveys) guidelines in order to provide quantitative and qualitative data about experience of patients with disabilities and their caregivers during Phase 1 of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their level of satisfaction. An online survey was developed using Google Forms and sent via email. The outcome measures were rated using a 5-point Likert Scale. Two additional open-ended questions were used to collect qualitative data.

This study aimed to investigate the consequence of the COVID 19-related lockdown on the well-being of children with neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders and the repercussion on parental stress during the period 9 March 2020–3 May 2020. A web-based survey was shared via mail with the parents of children affected by chronic neurologic disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders in the continuity of care in two Italian tertiary centers, independently by the severity of the diseases and the required frequency of controls. For each patient, they were asked to identify a single main caregiver, among the two parents, to fill in the questionnaire. Parental stress was measured via the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Statistical analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. The differences between the clinical groups were performed with one way ANOVA. The dimensional effect of the clinical variables on outcome was evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis.

This study aimed to determine the role of group-based parenting support training with the psychoeducational method in improving the well-being of parents having children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during the pandemic. The participants were 10 parents divided into the psychoeducational group and 12 parents in the control group in one State Special School for Autism in Medan. The instrument used a scale based on seven aspects of subjective well-being, as expressed by White (2010). Furthermore, data analysis was carried out using an independent sample t-test.

The creation of good relations between family members during the COVID-19 pandemic is  considered  important  to  accommodate  the  learning needs  of  autistic  children  as  during  the pandemic,  they  are  not  able  to  learn  optimally.  This  study  aims  to  establish  the  role  of  family counseling  in  handling  autistic  children  during  at-home learning. The research uses  a qualitative case  study  design.  The  informants  were  parents  and core  families  of  autistic  children,  and  data collection  involved interviews,  observations,  and  documentation.  The  data  analysis  techniques employed were inductive analysis through reduction, data description, data coding, interpretation, and  conclusions.

Animation based online instructional sessions were organised for enhancing learning attainment and cognitive functioning skills for children diagnosed with ADHD symptoms. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of animation-based instruction for the empowerment of learning attainment in relation to the cognitive functioning in students with ADHD during COVID-19 crisis. Quasi-experimental design was done on students with ADHD (n = 75, 11–12 years) from three different schools of Assam, India.

The second wave of the Study of Taiwanese Caregivers of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the COVID-19 Pandemic was conducted at the time of a severe COVID-19 outbreak. The aims of this study were to compare the level of the intentions of caregivers of children with ADHD to vaccinate their children between the first and second waves of study, as well as to examine the COVID-19 pandemic and non-COVID-19 pandemic factors related to caregivers’ intentions. In total, 252 caregivers of children with ADHD completed the structured questionnaires, including the Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale; the Risk Perception of the COVID-19 Scale; caregivers’ Difficulties in Asking Their Children to Adopt Self-Protective Behavior Scale; the Brief Symptom Rating Scale; the Parental Bonding Instrument; the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham version IV Scale; and the questionnaires for the intentions to vaccinate their children and child’s medication use for treating ADHD.

Little is known about autistic parenthood. The literature that exists suggests that autistic parents can find it difficult to manage the everyday demands of parenting and domestic life. While emerging research has also highlighted more positive parenting experiences, greater understanding of autistic parenthood is needed. This study sought to understand autistic parents' parenting experiences during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty-five Australian autistic parents (95% women) of autistic children (aged 4–25 years) took part in semi-structured interviews designed to elicit their experiences of life during lockdown.

Behavioral parent training (BPT) programs are needed to address disruptive behavior disorders among school-aged children. Given the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and associated mental health consequences, adapting BPTs to telehealth modalities is necessary to ensure continued services to children and families. This pilot study evaluated the use of a telehealth vs in-person modality to deliver the Developing Our Children's Skills K-5 (DOCS K-5) BPT. Participants were caregivers of children enrolled in elementary school exhibiting disruptive behaviors who participated in either in-person DOCS K-5 (n = 21) or internet-DOCS K-5 (i-DOCS K-5; n = 34).