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

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges for implementing public health mitigation strategies.
• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD) may face distinct hurdles in adhering to these measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of positive COVID-19 tests and difficulties with mitigation strategies among young children with ASD and DD versus the general population.
• To identify specific challenges faced by children with ASD and DD in adhering to public health guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) cohort, including children aged 2-5 years at baseline.
• Caregivers of 1027 participants completed a pandemic impact questionnaire in 2021.
• Modified Poisson regression models analyzed the association between study group (ASD, DD, population comparison group [POP]) and difficulties with mitigation strategies and nasal swabbing.

Main Results:

• Children in the ASD and DD groups were 3 times more likely to have at least one positive COVID-19 test compared to the POP group.
• Children with ASD showed significantly higher difficulty with all three mitigation strategies and nasal swabbing compared to the POP group.
• Children with DD experienced greater difficulty with handwashing and physical distancing than the POP group.

Conclusions:

• Youth with ASD and DD exhibit increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and challenges in implementing mitigation strategies.
• These findings highlight the necessity of tailored support for children with ASD and DD during public health emergencies and seasonal respiratory illnesses.