Impact of Belgian COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on autistic individuals’ socio-communicative behaviors and their parents’ quality of life

Background In the spring of 2020, Belgian authorities enforced a full lockdown period to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This lockdown drastically disrupted the daily life of autistic individuals’ and that of their families. In the midst of these extraordinary circumstances, we assessed the impact of social restrictions on autistic individuals’ behavior and their parents’ or caregivers’ quality of life; we also sought to identify individual characteristics that may influence such changes. Methods We designed an online survey targeting caregivers living with an autistic child or adu... Mehr ...