The Experiences of the Families of Individuals on the Autism Spectrum During the Pandemic: A Study of Neurodiverse Individuals and Their Caregivers in the Context of Anomie Caused by the Global Health Crisis

Abstract

The health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily suspended many of the existing rules and principles of the social order. This crisis can be described as social anomie. In this article, we explore the coping strategies of persons with disabilities in this state using the example of the families of individuals on the autism spectrum. While the neurodiversity of people on the spectrum is associated with adaptation difficulties and a low tolerance of change, the outbreak of the pandemic introduced abrupt changes in the functioning of institutions, the trajectories of daily life, and existing routines. The analysis of in-depth interviews conducted among parents of children on the autism spectrum shows how, in the face of radical changes in their external conditions, caregivers adapted the available measures to the developmental needs of their children and other family members. In the face of an anomic social order, innovation turned out to be the dominant coping strategy.