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Ameis SH, Lai MC, Mulsant BH, Szatmari P. Coping, fostering resilience, and driving care innovation for autistic people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Mol Autism 2020; 11:61. [PMID: 32698850 PMCID: PMC7374665 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00365-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is changing how society operates. Environmental changes, disrupted routines, and reduced access to services and social networks will have a unique impact on autistic individuals and their families and will contribute to significant deterioration in some. Access to support is crucial to address vulnerability factors, guide adjustments in home environments, and apply mitigation strategies to improve coping. The current crisis highlights that our regular care systems are not sufficient to meet the needs of the autism communities. In many parts of the world, people have shifted to online school and increased use of remote delivery of healthcare and autism supports. Access to these services needs to be increased to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 and future epidemics/pandemics. The rapid expansion in the use of telehealth platforms can have a positive impact on both care and research. It can help to address key priorities for the autism communities including long waitlists for assessment and care, access to services in remote locations, and restricted hours of service. However, system-level changes are urgently needed to ensure equitable access and flexible care models, especially for families and individuals who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. COVID-19 mandates the use of technology to support a broader range of care options and better meet the diverse needs of autistic people and their families. It behooves us to use this crisis as an opportunity to foster resilience not only for a given individual or their family, but also the system: to drive enduring and autism-friendly changes in healthcare, social systems, and the broader socio-ecological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie H Ameis
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 80 Workman Way, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 80 Workman Way, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Benoit H Mulsant
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 80 Workman Way, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Peter Szatmari
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 80 Workman Way, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Schieltz KM, Wacker DP. Functional assessment and function-based treatment delivered via telehealth: A brief summary. J Appl Behav Anal 2020; 53:1242-1258. [PMID: 32643811 PMCID: PMC7361834 DOI: 10.1002/jaba.742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
As the world navigates the COVID-19 health crisis, behavior analysts are considering how best to support families while maintaining services and ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved. Telehealth is one service delivery option that provides families with access to care in their own communities and homes. In this article, we provide a brief summary of the telehealth literature in applied behavior analysis that provided coaching and training to families for individuals who displayed challenging behavior. These studies targeted functional assessment and function-based treatment for challenging behavior. We briefly summarize what is known relative to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior via telehealth, place these results within a descriptive context of the decisions made by the research team at the University of Iowa, and discuss what we, as behavior analysts, should consider next to advance our understanding and practice of telehealth.
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