Adaptive response of Italian young adults with autism to the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study.

Researchers tracked 60 Italian young adults with autism before, during, and one year after the first COVID-19 lockdown. They used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales to measure daily living, social, and communication skills. No control group was included; each person served as their own baseline.

Adaptive behavior scores dropped sharply when lockdown closed day centers and job coaching. One year later the losses had not bounced back; social skills stayed 24 points below pre-pandemic levels. Daily living skills showed the same pattern—large drop, no recovery.

Romero et al. (2024) saw a similar COVID hit in younger kids: those with weak executive function slid into anxiety once routines vanished. Together the studies show the pandemic walloped both children and adults with autism, just through different symptoms.

Konke et al. (2026) offers a bright spot. Toddlers who could wait for a treat kept higher adaptive scores despite strong autistic traits. The Italian adults lost those very skills when services stopped, hinting that teaching self-control early might build a buffer against future shocks.

McCormick et al. (2025) looked at the same crisis period but found hope: autistic adults who stayed connected to personal values reported less mental-health fallout. Sutton et al. (2022) measured skill loss, not mood, so the papers do not clash—they simply show both damage and protection can happen at once.

If you work with transition-age clients, treat service loss as a serious hazard. Re-start or keep in-person supports quickly after any disruption—telehealth alone did not prevent decline. Add executive-function and delay-tolerance training now; these skills may act like insurance when the next crisis closes centers. Finally, weave values-based goals into treatment plans so clients have a psychological lifeline if external supports vanish again.