Autism and the coronavirus pandemic

Recent articles

two people social distancing

Spectrum stories: Life in lockdown with autism

Host Chelsey B. Coombs talks to clinicians and people with autism about their experience of the pandemic, how their routines have changed and some of the unexpected benefits.

By Chelsey B. Coombs
17 June 2020 | 1 min read

Amidst the pandemic, autism’s largest conference moves online

Organizers of the International Society for Autism Research's annual meeting will host digital offerings on 3 June.

By Laura Dattaro
1 June 2020 | 6 min read

Coronavirus threatens autistic people living in group homes

Living in close quarters, with rotating staff and sometimes inadequate protective equipment, group-home residents are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

By Marcus A. Banks, Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
21 May 2020 | 5 min read
Mom at home with two kids trying to help them with online work.

Quarantine may hit autistic women and children hardest

The coronavirus lockdown has radically disrupted autistic people’s schedules and access to services, according to a new survey.

By Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky
6 May 2020 | 3 min read
patient in hospital on ventilator, seen through a window.

Autistic people must not be denied access to ventilators

With life-saving gear in short supply during the pandemic, health authorities must ensure that disabled people are not pushed to the back of the line.

By Sara Luterman
5 May 2020 | 4 min read
Researcher talking on phone and working on computer at home.

Autism researchers adapt studies for a socially distant world

Locked out of labs during the coronavirus pandemic, scientists are moving their investigations to virtual and online formats, a shift that may bring lasting changes to autism research.

By Laura Dattaro
30 April 2020 | 6 min read

How to help autistic children cope with pandemic lockdowns

Sheltering in place is especially hard for autistic children who dread changes in routine and who may have learned to repress their ways of managing stress. Here are tips to help them cope.

By Shannon Des Roches Rosa
28 April 2020 | 4 min read
anti vaccine protesters

How anti-vaccine activists are using COVID-19 to boost their movement

While most of the world hungers for a vaccine to put an end to the death and economic destruction wrought by COVID-19, some anti-vaccine groups are joining anti-lockdown protesters to challenge restrictions aimed at protecting public health.

By Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News
28 April 2020 | 7 min read
doctor with remote patients on screen in his office

Remote diagnosis, support could aid families during lockdown

Cut off from clients by the pandemic, clinicians are turning to video conferencing and other technologies to diagnose children with autism.

By Michael Marshall
27 April 2020 | 4 min read
Family inside house--boy is having a meltdown--parents are watching and mom is making a call for advice or support.

Coronavirus tool kit may aid families with autistic children during lockdown

To help families cope with the sudden loss of professional support during the pandemic, one team in France has created a set of resources and information.

By Richard Delorme, Benjamin Landman
21 April 2020 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Colorful illustration of a latticework of proteins.

Cracking the code of the extracellular matrix

Despite evidence for a role in plasticity and other crucial functions, many neuroscientists still view these proteins as “brain goop.” The field needs technical advances and a shift in scientific thinking to move beyond this outdated perspective.

By Anna Victoria Molofsky
17 January 2025 | 5 min read
A repeated DNA strand extends farther from the left side of the image with each iteration.

Huntington’s disease gene variants past a certain size poison select cells

The findings—providing “the next step in the whole pathway”—help explain the disease’s late onset and offer hope that it has an extended therapeutic window.

By Angie Voyles Askham
16 January 2025 | 6 min read
Research image highlighting different brain regions.

X marks the spot in search for autism variants

Genetic variants on the X chromosome, including those in the gene DDX53, contribute to autism’s gender imbalance, two new studies suggest.

By Holly Barker
16 January 2025 | 6 min read