What to know
- The SEED COVID-19 Impact Assessment was conducted between January 2021 and June 2021.
- The information from this survey will inform strategies for supporting young children and their families during public health emergencies.
![Young boy with glasses taking notes and sitting at desk at home while watching class virtually on electronic screen](/autism/media/images/child-reading-and-writing.png)
About the SEED COVID-19 Impact Assessment
CDC's Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) is a multi-year, multi-site study to help increase our understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities.
As part of SEED 3, CDC collected information on the impact of COVID-19 on services, behaviors, and health during 2020 to help inform public health strategies for young children (aged 3–9 years) and their families, especially during public health emergencies.
Outcomes of interest
Among children
- Education and use of remote learning
- Changes in use of services and telemedicine
- Experiences with testing and mitigation strategies
- Changes in routines, health, and well-being
Among families
- Changes in household structure
- Health and well-being
- Finances, employment, and health insurance
- Changes in routines and support
- Experiences with COVID-19 infection
Behavior problems and everyday life skills
- Both before and after start of COVID-19 pandemic
Participants and methods
- Participants: Families of children who participated in SEED 3 before March 2020. The number of participants with ASD, other developmental disabilities, and from the general population will be about equal.
- Data collection:* Standard measures of daily living skills and behavior problems. COVID-19 Impact Survey questions address key outcomes.
- Data collection timeframe: January 2021 to June 2021.
- Study sites in SEED Phase 3: Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Sites collected information about the impact of COVID-19 on behaviors, health, and services from 1,027 participants, including 273 children with ASD.
*Data on participants from before March 2020 will be used to measure changes from before to after the onset of the pandemic.
What is CDC learning from the COVID-19 Impact Assessment?
Key analyses of the SEED COVID-19 Impact Assessment are currently taking place. They will address the impact of COVID-19 on use of services, child development and resilience, response to mitigation strategies, and the impact of COVID-19 on families and parental mental health.