RE:Supporting Autism Spectrum Disorder in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
References
Andreas Laupacis. Working together to contain and manage COVID-19. CMAJ 2020;192:E340-E341.
Liu, J.J., et al., Mental health considerations for children quarantined because of COVID-19. Lancet Child Adolesc Health, 2020.
American Psychiatric Association. and American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5 Task Force., Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-5. 5th ed. 2013, Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association. 947 p.
Campbell, V.A., et al., Preparing for and responding to pandemic influenza: implications for people with disabilities. Am J Public Health, 2009. 99 Suppl 2: p. S294-300.
The call for innovative approaches and the need to ensure continuity of care for those with chronic health issues during the pandemic cannot be overemphasized.[1] A specific response to address the mental distress of children who are quarantined is needed.[2] There needs to be greater emphasis on designing diverse, socio-culturally appropriate programs to address and provide mental health and psychosocial supports to mitigate the effects of prolonged isolation in children. Children and youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are vulnerable to the effects of prolonged isolation or quarantine and may have difficulty adapting to this new norm, especially as inflexibility and insistence on sameness are hallmark characteristic of this disorder. [3] Consequences of a pandemic and measures put in place to decrease transmission of COVID-19 has the potential to adversely affect children/ youth diagnosed with ASD and their families including siblings. Parental anxiety around job loss, economic uncertainty, lack of access to health care facilities/ treatment centres, extension of waitlist for early intervention programs may cripple a caregiver’s/ parent’s ability to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Integration of varied levels of intervention co-created within a child-family specific pandemic response program is needed.[4] Such programs may not require new initiatives and funding; the current pandemic instead challenges health care providers/ institutions to re-imagine service delivery using virtual care platforms. Delivering programs that are easily implemented and meet the needs of the child and their family are needed. Creation of a virtual helpline within pre-existing health communities such as hospitals and treatment centres, supported by a multidisciplinary team to provide real time supports as well as intermittent ongoing medical/behavioural support should be considered. COVID-19 pandemic has given us the opportunity to expand and rethink service delivery to one of the most vulnerable populations, those living with a disability and their families.