The COVID-19 pandemic has forced almost all of us to reorganize our lives. This is particularly challenging for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, who greatly rely on structure, predictability, and established routines and rituals. Autistic children have difficulty adjusting to new situations; for instance, wearing masks may pose a challenge for them. How do they deal with this situation? Caroline Toefel, director of an autism treatment and research center in Germany, states that the changes resulting from lockdowns and social distancing can negate the progress made in therapy.
**What is Autism?**
Autism is a developmental brain disorder characterized by a wide range of symptoms and severity, which are collectively known as the "spectrum." Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) begins in early childhood and includes Asperger's syndrome, which is generally considered to exist at the milder end of the spectrum. All forms of ASD share difficulties in social interaction and communication, along with tendencies toward limited and repetitive behavioral patterns, interests, or activities.
The autism treatment and research center in Germany has an outpatient clinic for children and adolescents. However, none of the patients' family members there were willing to share their struggles with journalists, not even in a brief phone interview. Since the onset of the pandemic more than a year ago, staff members at the center have observed increased pressure on families.
Toefel remarks, "The longer the lockdown lasts, the more we realize that the loss of usual structures is a problem... This has led to a state of ambiguity and an increase in difficult forms of behavior." Such challenging behaviors include anxiety, stress, violence, and self-harm. Patients revert to old patterns they had previously overcome with the help of therapy or escape into excessive engagement in video games, for instance.
Toefel notes that "this brings the potential for conflicts within families... and increases pre-existing challenges."
**Masks Add to the Difficulty**
Masks also pose a problem. Since autistic children have trouble adapting to new things, they may find wearing masks particularly difficult. As a result, their parents often face more blame in public than usual due to their children, who, according to those laying blame, are assumed not to have been raised well. This discourages parents from leaving home with their children, leading to further withdrawal of the children.
