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New research looked at elevated stress in parents of autistic children in the aftermath of events on October 7th, 2023 in Israel.

“Following the unprecedented attacks by Hamas on October 7th, we sought to understand the psychological experience of autistic and non autistic children and their parents,” Dr. Judah Koller of the School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem told us.

Given autistic childrens’ characteristic dependence on routine and predictability, the researchers believed it was likely that autistic children were experiencing higher levels of trauma than their non-autistic peers. Similarly, they assumed that parents of autistic children would be having a harder time.

“We embarked on this study based on the belief that identifying the particular needs of autistic as well as those of typically developing children in these unprecedented times, will allow us as a society to provide proper support, both now and moving forward,” Dr. Koller told us.

The researchers collected data from parents of autistic and typically developing children in the month following the October 7th attacks. The results clearly show that, while both autistic and typically developing children are displaying exceedingly high levels of trauma, autistic children are experiencing even more heightened distress.

“We also saw that parents of autistic children displayed higher levels of stress and
anxiety than parents of non-autistic children,” Dr. Koller told us. “We were able to compare the findings of this study with other data collected in another study at the Azrieli Centre for Autism and

Neurodevelopment Research at Ben Gurion University prior to October 7th. Strikingly, this comparison showed that in the month following October 7th, parents of autistic children, as a group, displayed levels of stress, anxiety, and depression two to four times that which they displayed previously.

“While everyone in Israel knows that we are undergoing an unprecedentedly traumatic experience, it was shocking to see these numbers before our eyes,” Dr. Koller told us. “We did not expect the effect to be as striking as it was.”

First and foremost, Dr. Koller believes these results means that patience is important.

“Even if we’re not conscious of it, we are functioning under tremendously challenging conditions, so a bit more understanding and kindness in every direction can go a long way,” Dr. Koller told us. “Both immediately and with an eye to the rehabilitation of our society, it is essential for us to consider mechanisms for the support of child and adult mental health, with specific focus on vulnerable populations, such as autistic children and their parents.”