Families of autistic kids actually bounced back mentally faster during wartime than families without autistic kids.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
Resilience in a Time of War: A One-year Follow-up Study of Autistic and Non-Autistic Children and their Families
PsyArXiv · 5p87y_v1
The Takeaway
It is widely assumed that the chaos of war is harder on autistic children who rely on strict routines. However, a longitudinal study during active conflict found that these families showed unexpected resilience, with parents of autistic children experiencing a faster decline in anxiety and stress symptoms than other families.
From the abstract
Research on the psychological impact of armed conflict often neglects autistic children and their families, who may face unique challenges due to disrupted routines and services. Here we conducted a one-year longitudinal study assessing post-traumatic stress symptoms in autistic and non-autistic children and parental mental health across seven time points following the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel (N = 62 families). Results revealed a dramatic initial decline in symptom severity followed by