Ally Pax Arcari Mair, Grace Khawam, Hope Christie, Karen Goodall, Doug McConachie, Jo Van Herwegen, Joanna Moss, Carrie Ballantyne, Hayley Crawford, Caroline Richards, Thomas Gallagher-Mitchell, Laura Outhwaite, Karri Gillespie-Smith
Children with intellectual disabilities were anxious during the Covid-19 pandemic and employed numerous coping strategies (such as distracting themselves with sensory-based activities). Despite looking forward to seeing family/friends, children reported worries and hesitancy about returning to 'normal', indicating potential lasting effects of the lockdown.
BACKGROUND: To date, little research has explored children with intellectual disabilities' own experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. The current study used photovoice to explore the impact of Covid-19 on children with intellectual disabilities.
METHOD: Sessions were carried out with (n = 13) children aged 8-16 years across five sessions with five small groups (either face-to-face or video calls) between November 2021-March 2022.
RESULTS: Three main themes (1) "Nobody likes the lockdown"; (2) "You don't want the Covid [to] get you"; (3) Everything is Different Now were connected to an overarching theme of (Im)Permanence.
CONCLUSIONS: Children with intellectual disabilities were anxious during the Covid-19 pandemic and employed numerous coping strategies (such as distracting themselves with sensory-based activities). Despite looking forward to seeing family/friends, children reported worries and hesitancy about returning to 'normal', indicating potential lasting effects of the lockdown.