Autism spectrum disorder during French COVID-19 lockdown: The importance of individualized support.
A weekly phone call from a known clinician held autism families steady through lockdown.
01Research in Context
What this study did
French clinicians called families every week during COVID-19 lockdown. They gave personalized advice about autism needs.
The study tracked parent reports before and after two months of phone support. Kids stayed home and clinics were closed.
What they found
Children's skills neither improved nor worsened. Weekly calls kept families steady during lockdown.
Parents felt supported but saw no big changes in child behavior. The coaching acted like a safety net.
How this fits with other research
Sergi et al. (2021) saw Italian toddlers keep or gain skills with parent coaching. Both studies used lockdown calls, but Sergi measured child skills while M et al. asked parents about overall status.
Lu et al. (2026) found Chinese parents grew more anxious and depressed across pandemic waves. Their result seems opposite until you see they tracked mental-health scores, not general parent views.
Tawankanjanachot et al. (2024) reported teen social skills dropped when services were cut. The French team kept services going, so stability makes sense.
Why it matters
Your families may not bloom during crises, but a quick weekly call can stop decline. One familiar voice on the phone preserved baseline skills for two months without clinics. Schedule a 15-minute check-in each week with every caseload family before the next holiday break or weather closure.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
<h4>Aim</h4>This observational and repeated measures study assesses the impact of the first, most restrictive, COVID-19 lockdown in France on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.<h4>Method</h4>During the first COVID-19 lockdown, families of ASD children enrolled in the day-care centre of the child and adolescent psychiatry department of the Tours University Hospital were contacted weekly. A total of 95 parents took part in this study between the 18th of March and the 8th of May 2020. Advice and personalized support materials were provided by professionals involved in children's care. Questions regarding clinical outcomes were addressed to parents, and their assessments were reported on a 5-point Likert scale. Two time points were considered: the first 3 weeks and the three last weeks of the lockdown period.<h4>Results</h4>No difference was highlighted between clinical scores collected at the beginning and at the end of the lockdown. No effect of intellectual disability, accommodation type (house or apartment) or parental status was observed. The reasons for the relatively minor impact of the COVID-19 lockdown observed in this study are discussed.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Individualized and regular support provided by caregivers, familiar with ASD children's clinical specificities, in the context of a trusted relationship with parents may have contributed to the stability of this population. This 'tailor-made' approach should be promoted, in order to help support families of ASD children in this challenging period.
, 2022 · doi:10.1111/cch.13029