ArticlePloS one2022
Impact of Belgian COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on autistic individuals' socio-communicative behaviors and their parents' quality of life.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Behavioral and Emotional Health of Young Children With Autism.JAACAP open · 2025Article
- Utility of a virtual small group cognitive behaviour program for autistic children during the pandemic: evidence from a community-based implementation study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn 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.
methodsWe designed an online survey targeting caregivers living with an autistic child or adult. The questionnaire included 125 five-point Likert questions which targeted changes in families' quality of life and in autistic individuals' behavior, as well as factors likely to influence the extent and direction of these changes.
resultsWe collected data from 209 French-speaking Belgian respondents. Respondents reported that the lockdown brought about a higher frequency of nonfunctional socio-communicative behaviors, as well as a decrease in families' quality of life. Parents who had less access to respite care experienced a steeper decrease in their quality of life. Autistic individuals with comorbidities, and whose parents had less access to respite care and implemented fewer rules at home during lockdown were more likely to display nonfunctional socio-communicative behaviors.
conclusionCOVID-19 lockdown restrictions had a negative impact on both autistic individuals and their parents.
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Registered trials
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