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

Psychedelics muddy fMRI results: Q&A with Adam Bauer and Jonah Padawer-Curry

The drugs disrupt the link between vascular and neuronal activity, which complicates interpretations of fMRI data. Adopting a more holistic view of what constitutes brain activity may help, the researchers say.

By Calli McMurray
29 October 2025 | 7 min read
Headshots of Philip Adeniyi, Samir Ahboucha, Willias Masoch and Daniel Gams Massi.

First Pan-African neuroscience journal gets ready to launch

With lower-than-average article processing fees, and issues dedicated to topics important to the continent, the journal hopes to give African neuroscience research much-needed international visibility.

By Lauren Schenkman
28 October 2025 | 5 min listen
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

New method identifies two-hit genetic variation in autism; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 27 October.

By Jill Adams
28 October 2025 | 2 min read

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