Covid-19 and Role of the Caregivers of the Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are the most vulnerable group in the society, who have suffered a lot during the Covid-19 pandemic. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to explore the strategies taken by the caregivers of the ASD children during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Methodology: The study followed a holistic mixed-method approach. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents to conduct a survey for the research. For quantitative analysis Chi-square test has been conducted to examine the association between the variables. For the qualitative part of the study, 5 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were carried out from the experts (such as therapists and teachers) by constructing 15 open-ended questions. Results: Analysis of data revealed the strategies taken by the caregivers of the ASD children during the Covid-19 pandemic such as- assigning therapists, providing teletherapy, making session plans and taking online classes. It has also disclosed the behavioral changes noticed by the caregivers of the ASD children such as hyperactivity, lack of attention. In this research, for quantitative analysis a total 248 data were collected from the caregivers (parents) of the ASD Children in Dhaka City and most of the respondents (80%) were the mother of the children. 98% of the parents observed some sorts of behavioral changes and 90% of them followed different strategies for their mental and physical development during the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: To put it simply, sufferings of the ASD children and their caregivers know no bounds during the pandemic. The caregivers fought many more challenges than we can imagine from the outside.