With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place, families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face a unique set of challenges related to a diverse set of issues. A qualitative study was conducted in the form of semi-structured interviews from fifteen parents of children and adolescents from a non-public school for children with ASD. Questions covered the following topic areas: general COVID-19 experiences and concerns, changes in the child’s mood and behavior, changes in parent mood and behavior, and coping/advice. Quotes and descriptions from the participants were reviewed and grouped into thematic areas. Findings showed that parents of children with ASD are facing a wide range of challenges, including explaining COVID-19 and safety precautions to their child in a comprehensible way, assisting with e-learning, and guiding their child back into social situations and the community. As children with ASD have difficulties with transitions, parents stated the importance of creating structure in the home by creating schedules and boundaries, while allowing for flexibility as to not over enforce the rigidity children with autism often face. Advice on coping with the additional stressors were also shared. Parents recommended finding time for themselves to reset, utilizing support systems, and reflecting on daily pleasures as positive coping mechanisms. This study aimed to both develop an initial guide for families, teachers and clinicians caring for children with ASD and to create awareness in the community about the challenges presented by COVID-19 and shelter-in-place.

Families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face a unique set of challenges with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place related to a diverse set of issues, including explaining COVID-19 and safety precautions in a comprehensible way, building structure in home for e-learning to take place, and guiding children back into social situations and the community. We sought to obtain direct feedback through semi-structured interviews from fifteen parents of children and adolescents from a non-public school for children with level 2 and 3 ASD to both develop an initial guide for families, teachers and clinicians caring for children with ASD and to create awareness in the community about the challenges presented by COVID-19 and shelter-in-place.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between anxiety and overall academic performance (AP) in children with reading disorder (RD). This two‐year longitudinal cohort study included 128 participants (aged 7–14 years) with RD. Anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the School Anxiety Scale – Teacher Report for the first year and the eight‐item Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for the second year. AP was assessed by teacher ratings of progress in academic content areas, including reading, writing and math. Teachers completed evaluations every 3 months. We standardized all scores (to z scores). Multivariate linear regression models (adjusting for age, sex and Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms) assessed the association cross‐sectionally at each timepoint of survey completion. Repeated measures analysis using mixed models assessed the relationship longitudinally. Results from both univariate and multivariate analyses showed anxiety being significantly negatively associated with AP in children with RD, both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. Importantly, increased anxiety was significantly associated with reduced AP over time within an individual (adjusted β = −0.22, p = .002). This lends support to screening for anxiety disorders in children with RD. Future research should examine the directionality of this relationship, potential mediators in the pathway and whether interventions to reduce anxiety increase AP.

Prior studies have suggested that grit and resilience predict both academic and career success. However, these qualities have not been examined in children with reading disorder (RD). We therefore investigated whether grit and resilience were associated with anxiety, depression, academic performance, and quality of life (QOL) in these students. This 3-year longitudinal cohort study included 163 participants with RD from 3 schools. Evaluations were completed by parents and/or teachers every 3 months. The Grit and Resilience Scale was adapted from the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the 12-item Grit Scale. Outcome measures included anxiety (School Anxiety Scale – Teacher Report and the 8-item Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale), depression (Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire), academic performance, and QOL (Pediatric QOL Inventory 4.0). Multivariate linear regression models (adjusting for age and sex) assessed the associations at baseline. Repeated measures analysis using mixed-effects models assessed the relationship longitudinally. There were statistically significant associations between grit and resilience and all outcomes at baseline and over time. After adjusting for age and sex, improved grit and resilience was associated with decreased anxiety (β =  − 0.4, p < 0.001) and improved academic performance (β = 0.5, p < 0.001) when grit and resilience was measured by teachers, as well as decreased depression (β =  − 0.3, p < 0.001) and improved QOL (β = 0.6, p < 0.001) when grit and resilience was measured by parents. Grit and resilience are significantly related to mental health, academic performance, and QOL in children with RD. This suggests that interventions to improve grit and resilience may lead to positive benefits.

Conclusions:The overall assessment of the safety plans was approximately 65%. The strengths of the safety plans include identifying support and coping skills. The safety plan template used on the inpatient unit does not include a line about means restriction, which automatically caused each plan to receive a zero in that category. We recommend that means restriction information be added to the discharge. Lower quality safety plans were more likely to have increased CPEP presentations/hospital readmissions. Safety plans that had more robust responses for "people patients can ask for support" and "warning signs" were less likely to have CPEP presentations or admissions. This suggests that these are key elements in helping to support patients in the community.

Objective: To investigate whether sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) was associated with anxiety, depression, and academic performance (AP) in children with reading disorder (RD), and whether ADHD-Inattention (ADHD-IN) moderated these relationships. Method: Parents and teachers of children with RD ( N = 147, ages 6–18) completed evaluations of SCT, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and AP, every 3 months for 18 months. Baseline and longitudinal associations between SCT and outcomes, and effect moderation of ADHD-IN, were assessed. Results: Teacher-rated SCT was positively associated with teacher-rated anxiety ( p < .001) and negatively associated with AP ( p < .001) cross-sectionally and longitudinally, with significant effect modification by ADHD-IN for both outcomes. SCT was not associated with depression in adjusted cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. There were no significant findings for any parent-reported measures. Conclusion: SCT has negative effects on anxiety and AP in children with RD among individuals with low ADHD-IN according to teacher report. Targeted treatment of SCT may provide substantial benefits.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, chronic, sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of partial and complete airway obstructions during sleep with repetitive apneas and hypopneas as a result. Common symptoms of OSA include snoring, nocturnal choking or gasping, excessive daytime sleepiness, nonrefreshing sleep, fatigue, nocturia, morning headache, and cognitive impairment. Snoring has the most sensitivity(82.6%) while nocturnal choking or gasping is the most specific (84%) Undiagnosed and untreated OSA attributed to hypertension (30%-70% of OSA patients), heart failure (140% rise in risk), CAD (30% rise in the risk of blockage), and stroke (60% rise in risk). Other long-term health consequences include diabetes, memory loss (including Alzheimer’s), depression, and other psychiatric conditions. Depending on the broad or stringent definition of OSA based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the prevalence of the condition in North America can range from 20-30% or 15% in males, and 10-15% or 5% in females. Asians and Indians have been found to have similar OSA severity, despite lower rates of obesity. However, research conducted among South Asians in the UK shows a higher prevalence of OSA than white Europeans. Limited research is done on OSA among South Asians in the US, particularly in the Bangladeshi community. The proportion of the population showing a high risk for the disease noticeably increases from 46 years onward. Male gender was found to be the major risk factor determining whether the subjects are at high, intermediate, or low risk. This conforms with other studies done previously. Although the study shows 30% of the population posing an increased risk for OSA, the outcome may be the same, lower, or higher after polysomnography. The author recommends a broader study with a follow-up of the intermediate and high-risk groups with an appropriate sleep study. Based on the preliminary findings, questions regarding OSA should be incorporated into routine health evaluations. Suspicion of OSA should trigger a comprehensive sleep evaluation. Steps should be taken to increase awareness at the community level to improve compliance with annual physicals and reduce risk behaviors.

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