Behaviors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Increased During COVID-19, Experts Say

While every family struggled to maintain a sense of normalcy at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers find that the lack of a consistent routine and food security severely affected families that included children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Anita Panjwani, a Purdue University postdoctoral researcher in psychological sciences, and Dr. Bridgette Kelleher, an associate professor in psychological sciences and the director-elect for the Purdue Autism Research Center, conducted a study from May to June of 2020 that focused on households with children affected by ASD. "When COVID hit, our team had to stop all of the other studies that we were working on," Panjwani said. "Dr. Kelleher was really quick to realize that this is going to impact children with ASD and other needs a lot more than the general public. So we decided to do some studies on that." Read More