De psychosociale impact van de COVID-19-pandemie op kinderen met autisme

Psychosocial characteristics of children with autism were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic and compared with data collected during the pandemic. The results show a surprising improvement, especially from T0 to T1. Girls and children attending special education showed increased difficulties over time, while older children showed fewer difficulties. While there was a general decrease in difficulties, we observed stability in the subdomain of emotional problems. Hyperactivity, behavioral problems, and peer issues decreased. Moreover, we noticed increased prosocial behavior during the pandemic. Attending special education was associated with increased peer-related problems over time, while a higher age predicted fewer behavioral problems and increased prosocial behavior over time. All in all, the COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily improved the environment for autistic children in the Netherlands.