COVID-19 Pandemic and Autism Spectrum Disorder, Consequences to Children and Adolescents — a Systematic Review

AbstractIn this systematic review, we aimed to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children/adolescents with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The protocol was registered on PROSPERO CRD42021255848. Articles were selected from PubMed, Embase, and LILACS according to these characteristics: patients from zero to 18  years old, exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic, impact on social communication/interaction and restricted/repetitive behavior domains. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess methodological quality and the risk of bias. Of the 351 articles initially identified, 26 were finally included with i nformation on 8,610 patients. Although the studies were heterogeneous, they indicated that the pandemic-related issues experienced by patients with ASD were mostly manifested in their behavior and sleep patterns.
Source: Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - Category: Child Development Source Type: research