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

A human silhouette with lines connecting the brain to various organs.

PIEZO channels are opening the study of mechanosensation in unexpected places

The force-activated ion channels underlie the senses of touch and proprioception. Now scientists are using them as a tool to explore molecular mechanisms at work in internal organs, including the heart, bladder, uterus and kidney.

By Calli McMurray
30 January 2026 | 6 min read
US Department of Health and Human Services building.

Latest iteration of U.S. federal autism committee comes under fire

The new panel “represents a radical departure from all past rosters,” says autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg.

By Angie Voyles Askham
29 January 2026 | 9 min read
Progenitors cells in the medial ganglionic eminence become increasingly organized during development as rows of brain imaging progress from top to bottom.

‘Tour de force’ study flags fount of interneurons in human brain

The newly discovered cell type might point to the origins of the inhibitory imbalance linked to autism and other conditions.

By Holly Barker
29 January 2026 | 4 min read

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