Intolerance of Uncertainty and Sensory Overreactivity: Potential Targets to Reduce Aggression in Young Autistic Children?

De Roubaix et al. (2025) tracked families of autistic adults during the Great Recession. They looked at how money stress changed problem behavior and caregiver mood.

The team used a before-and-after design with no control group. They compared scores from just before the downturn to scores after the worst part.

Problem behavior and mom depression both got worse after the recession hit. Dad stress and job status stayed the same.

Adult health ratings also held steady. The study shows money shocks can hurt mood and behavior even when jobs and health do not change.

Lugo-Marín et al. (2021) saw the opposite during COVID lockdown: autistic adults and Level 2 youth had fewer mental-health symptoms. The difference is setting. Lockdown cut social demands, while recession added money worry.

Vassos et al. (2023) and Romero et al. (2024) match Amy’s pattern. Both found youth symptoms rose during the pandemic when services stopped and stress was high. Together they warn that any big crisis can spike behavior if support drops.

Tan et al. (2026) stretch the story forward. They show parent emotion-regulation problems today predict child behavior problems two years later. Amy’s recession spike in mom depression could echo for years unless we act.

You can’t stop recessions, but you can screen early. Add brief mood checks to parent meetings when the news talks of layoffs. Offer free ACT or mindfulness groups right away; Jones et al. (2014) and Koç et al. (2026) show these skills buffer caregiver stress. A small dose of support early may stop a behavior surge that lasts long after the economy recovers.