Navigating a Social World Behind Masks: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Affected the Autism Spectrum Disorder Population as Seen in Research Literature

As a result of the pandemic, social interactions have had to change. Individuals have had to change the way they navigate their social world and their relationships within these new structural changes, and the discourse surrounding autism spectrum disorder has adapted in a way that now places more emphasis on mental health, while continuing to prioritize intervention and support as key themes in research literature, changing the way autism spectrum disorder is framed. As expected, a change in discourse was seen in autism literature from before and after the pandemic; autism literature post-pandemic onset referenced mental health at a higher rate than pre-pandemic, and the continued prevalence of the theme intervention emphasizes the importance of social support for those impacted by an autism diagnosis. This change in discursive practices in autism literature has resulted in a new framing of autism spectrum disorder