The failure of provision for neurodiverse children during the covid-19 pandemic.

The indirect effects of the covid-19 pandemic threaten to have a substantial and long-lasting negative impact on children and young people’s physical and mental health. Some have been disproportionately affected by containment policies such as social distancing, repeated isolation of school bubbles, and closure of schools. One such group are those children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (hereafter, autism) whose unique needs have been highlighted by the BMJ’s Best Practice recent review.1 As this group lacks representation in policy spheres, and as the UK “learns to live with covid,” their specific needs have been failed. #### Impact of the pandemic on the health and behaviour of children and young people with autism Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition with impairments in a dyad of features on a dimensional spectrum, characterised by difficulties in social communication, restricted interests, repetitive behaviours, and sensory behaviours.1 In addition to these central features, up to 70% of children and young people with autism can have at least one co-occurring mental health diagnosis.2 Children and young people with autism experienced specific additional health challenges as a result of covid-19 restrictions, which led to disruption of routines and structure, which they normally …