Participation of Children With Autism During COVID-19: The Role of Maternal Participation

BACKGROUND: Little is known about participation during adverse times. OBJECTIVES: This study described participation of children with autism aged 6 to 13 during COVID-19 pandemic and examined the extent to which child factors, mother’s own participation, and environmental barriers/supports explain child participation in home and community. METHOD: A total of 130 mothers completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth, the Health Promoting Activities Scale, functional issues checklist, and sociodemographic questionnaire. RESULTS: Children’s participation frequency and involvement were significantly higher at home than in the community. In both settings, mothers desired change in 71% of activities. Multiple regression models indicated that child’s age and mother’s participation frequency significantly explained child’s home involvement (R(2) = 21%), where mother’s participation (frequency) had a unique contribution (ΔR(2) = 10.4%) at home but not in the community. CONCLUSION: Findings imply the importance of maternal participation to child’s participation at home and suggest redirecting attention for enhancing family participation as a whole.