Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on quality of life in families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in British Columbia

The purpose of this research project is to understand how families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in British Columbia can be best supported during COVID-19 and in similar pandemics. This will be accomplished by surveying parents and assessing how their child/ren and family have functioned during the current or Phase 1 of the COVID-19 pandemic, including their access to government services and supports. Their degree of satisfaction with government policies, specific to families affected by ASD, in the midst of the pandemic, will be assessed. Another goal of this research is to identify specific child and family characteristics, as well as service usage patterns, that are linked to family quality of life outcomes. The partner organization will benefit by having an objective assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on families affected by ASD, based on rigorous research, that will inform recommendations that can be shared with government.

Faculty Supervisor:

Grace Iarocci;Elina Birmingham

Student:

Vanessa Fong

Partner:

ACT-Autism Community Training

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

Simon Fraser University