People With Autism Have Increased Risk of COVID-19

According to research from the AJ Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University, autistic adults, adults with intellectual disabilities, and adults with a mental health diagnosis have multiple risk factors for infection with COVID-19 and for experiencing more serious illness if they have COVID-19. 19 rise.

Identifying risk factors for COVID-19 in autistic adults, adults with intellectual disabilities and adults with psychiatric diagnoses is important for prioritizing public health initiatives and clinical practice – including vaccination, testing, masking and distancing. In addition, awareness of risks can aid decision-making in caring for these populations.

Researchers used data from Medicaid to see whether these groups were more likely to experience risk factors for COVID-19 and noted that while the Medicaid data reviewed is from 2008-2012, risk factors, such as living in a residential facility, are not likely in have decreased over time.

“These high-risk populations need to be recognized by clinicians and these groups should be prioritized in reaching vaccines and education,” said Whitney Schott, PhD, a research scientist at the Autism Institute and lead author of the study.

The data showed that autistic adults were more likely to live in a residential facility, receive home services from outside caregivers, have had avoidable hospitalization, and have a high-risk health condition, compared with neurotypical adults without mental illness.

It also showed that adults with intellectual disabilities had a similar chance of having these conditions. Adults with other mental health conditions were also more likely to live in residential facilities, receive services from outside caregivers, and have avoidable hospitalizations compared to the neurotypical population without mental health conditions. They were three times more likely to have a high-risk health problem.

Researchers examined risk factors for COVID-19 in adults enrolled in Medicaid between 2008 and 2012 and ages 20-64 with autism, intellectual disability, mental illness, and without mental illness. They estimated the prevalence, as well as logistic regressions for these groups to find the probability of these risk factors. Of a random sample, 372,807 had a mental illness; 683,778 not. Of the entire population of autistic adults and adults with intellectual disabilities, 31,101 were autistic, 52,049 autistics with intellectual disabilities, and 563,558 were diagnosed with intellectual disabilities but not autism.

“Healthcare providers, policymakers and advocates need to be aware of the higher rates — among autistic adults, adults with intellectual disabilities, and adults with a mental health diagnosis — of risk factors for contracting COVID-19 and more serious illness if infected,” said Lindsay Shea, DrPH, director of the Policy and Analytics Center and leader of the Autism Institute’s Life Course Outcomes Research Program, an associate professor and co-author of the report.

It is important to step up outreach efforts to vaccinate these vulnerable groups, Shea added. Reliable caregivers with pre-existing relationships may be in the best position to help people in this population get vaccinated. Efforts should also be made to provide up-to-date information on safe practices, such as wearing face coverings, maintaining physical distance, washing hands, avoiding crowds and increasing ventilation.

Reference: “Covid-19 Risk: Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries With Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, and Mental Illness” by Whitney Schott, Sha Tao, and Lindsay Shea, Aug. 21, 2021, Autism.
DOI: 10.1177/13623613211039662