Characterizing Changes in Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic School Closures in Canada and Its Perceived Impact on Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in screen time for children and families. Traditionally, screen time has been associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes, and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at increased risk of these outcomes. The primary objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the change in screen time during COVID-19 school closures for children with ASD, and (2) examine the parent perceived impact of screen time on mental health and quality of life of children and their families. Canadian parents and caregivers of children 19 years of age and younger were eligible to participate in an anonymous, online survey study. This survey was available in English, consisted of 28 questions, took ~10-min to complete, and was available for 6 weeks (May 22 through July 6, 2020). The total sample consisted of 414 responses (ASD:

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2021 Cardy, Dupuis, Anagnostou, Ziolkowski, Biddiss, Monga, Brian, Penner and Kushki.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

AK reports personal fees from Shaftesbury outside the submitted work. In addition, AK has a patent US 9,844,332 B2 with royalties paid to Awake Labs and a patent US 16/276,208 pending to Awake Labs. AK is the inventor of a software called the Anxiety Meter. She is involved in commercializing the Anxiety Meter and will financially benefit from its sales. AK served on the board of advisors for Shaftesbury, a media company developing virtual reality products for children with ASD, from February 2020–February 2021, and was compensated financially for this role. SM receives royalties from Springer for her book, Assessing and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Young Children. EA reports grants from Roche, personal fees from Roche, personal fees from Quadrant, personal fees from Wiley, book royalties from Springer, book royalties from APPI, and non-financial support from AMO Pharma outside the submitted work. In addition, EA has a patent US 9,844,332 B2 with royalties paid to Awake Labs. EA holds a patent on the software called the Anxiety Meter; the Anxiety Meter is being commercialized and she will financially benefit from its sales. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.