COVID-19 Infection and Mitigation for Young Children With Autism and Other Disabilities.

Objective: This study investigated prevalence of positive tests for COVID-19 infection and difficulties with mitigation strategies among young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD) compared with children from the general population (population comparison group [POP]).

Methods: Before the pandemic, children aged 2 to 5 years in the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) completed a developmental assessment assigning them to a study group (ASD, other DD, or POP). Caregivers were recontacted in 2021 to complete a questionnaire assessing the impact of the pandemic in 2020 when children were aged 3 to 8 years. Modified Poisson regression models assessed the relationship between study group and difficulty with mitigation strategies and nasal swabbing.

Results: Caregivers of 1027 SEED participants completed the survey. Prevalence of having 1 or more positive COVID-19 tests was 3 times higher for children in the ASD and DD groups versus the POP group. In adjusted models, children in the ASD group were more likely to have difficulty with all 3 mitigation strategies and nasal swabbing compared with children in the POP group. The DD group were more likely than the POP group to experience difficulty with handwashing and physical distancing.

Conclusion: Compared with the general population, youth with ASD and DD were more likely to have at least 1 positive COVID-19 test and difficulty following mitigation strategies. These findings underscore the importance of supporting youth with ASD and DDs in anticipation of future public health emergencies and the annual respiratory disease season.