The shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges for all children and parents, but especially for kids with autism.

Children with autism often struggle with changes in routine and the engagement required for remote instruction.

Brooke Ingersoll, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University and director of the MSU Autism Lab, has worked closely with providers throughout the pandemic to ensure children received proper interventions with minimal interruption.

Recognizing these challenges and the stress on families, Ingersoll says the transition to remote learning and telehealth has also opened the door for some positive changes in service delivery for children with autism by increasing access to services. She is hopeful that these positive changes will continue into the future, even after the threat of COVID-19 passes.

Here, Ingersoll describes three areas of concern for autism education going forward:

  • Intervention Methods: “So much of the success for a child with ASD comes from what they learn, practice, and experience in the home without specialists guiding them. Parent coaching, which equips caregivers with the tools to help children develop and learn, is a specific area of my research. Although parent coaching has a strong evidence-base for improving child and caregiver outcomes, it has been highly underutilized in community-based intervention programs,” Ingersoll says.
  • Assessment and diagnosis: “Current diagnostic models often involve extended testing by a multidisciplinary team of professionals at a specialty clinic. These assessments usually involve long waitlists, extended travel to a specialty clinic for families, and long days with multiple professionals. Being observed/assessed in an unfamiliar setting can be very stressful for children and families, which makes the process even more difficult,” says Ingersoll.
  • Compliance: “Since its inception, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPPA, has enforced stringent rules on health information sharing and communication, making telehealth options for ASD challenging,” Ingersoll explains. “But since COVID hit and we have all been in the confines of our own homes, HIPAA has loosened restrictions to allow for continued care during social distancing.

Read the full article about autism education in COVID-19 by Caroline Brooks at Futurity.