COVID-19 and families with children on the autism spectrum

Abstract

This study explored the topic of COVID-19 and families of children with autism. The objective was to document and promote these families' voice during the onset of the pandemic and the partial lockdown, with a specific focus on education. The first aim was to explore how COVID-19 has affected children on the autism spectrum and their families. The second aim was to study how COVID-19 has impacted children's education on the autism spectrum in its broadest sense. This qualitative research was carried out using online one-to-one interviews with parents of children with autism. During the interviews, the focus was on the narrative of the families' experiences and stories and their children with autism as seen through the social model's lens whilst keeping the research as emancipatory as possible. Eight parents were recruited to participate in the study. These participants accepted to be contacted again in February/March 2021 to participate in a short follow-up interview to update the circumstances. The data generated were analysed through the thematic analysis approach, where themes and subthemes were identified. The findings were insightful as they portrayed the daily challenges the families of children with autism have experienced since the onset of COVID-19. These past months were not easy for the families. They found it hard to juggle family needs, including the shift to online schooling, the evaporation of support, reaching a work-life balance, all whilst adapting to a new normal. Contrastingly, some families managed to bond better with their children while the children developed new hobbies. Going through the parents' narratives, it is evident that some of the parents were already encountering difficulties and challenges before the onset of the pandemic, which COVID-19 compounded.