Families of autistic children have been greatly impacted by lockdown reveals a study by UCL, the University of East London and the University of Bedfordshire. It found that despite the relaxed legislation on lockdown measures for autistic people brought into effect in April, 86% of those surveyed still felt that the needs of autistic people and their families were not adequately planned for or addressed by officials during the pandemic.

Parents/carers of children aged 4-10 years of age reported that over a one-month period in lockdown, they saw increases in their child's emotional difficulties, such as feeling unhappy, worried, being clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry, according to early results from the Co-SPACE study, asking parents and carers about their children's mental health through the COVID-19 crisis.

Government and employers must take stock to ensure mothers' long-term employment prospects are not disproportionately impacted by lockdown

Parents should not feel pressured to make their young children undertake structured learning or achieve specific tasks, particularly during lockdown. A new study of children under the age of two has found that parents who take a more flexible approach to their child's learning can - for children who were easy babies - minimise behavioural problems during toddlerhood.