Children born in England during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period exhibited greater challenges with focus, emotional regulation, and following instructions by the age of four, according to a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. These developmental impacts are attributed to a "uniquely disrupted" first year of life, marked by severe restrictions on social interaction.
The study, conducted by researchers from City, University of London, assessed 205 children born in England between March 23 and June 23, 2020. These infants experienced a first year shaped by government measures such as limited social contact, mandated social distancing, face coverings, and the closure of community spaces like baby groups.
Researchers found that these children had lower levels of executive function, which encompasses critical skills for planning, problem-solving, and adapting to new situations. Preliminary findings from parental questionnaires indicated that reported executive functioning was below typical pre-pandemic levels, with one-third of the children assessed needing support in this area. The study suggests that limited social diversity in early life may have contributed to these difficulties.
Children may struggle to remain attentive to tasks, recall or adhere to instructions, resist distractions, or modify their behavior based on feedback, the researchers noted. While overall language scores met age expectations, expressive language skills – the ability to use words to communicate – were found to be below par when benchmarked against non-verbal reasoning abilities. Receptive language, or understanding spoken language, may have been bolstered by increased parental attention during lockdown. However, the reduction in varied interactions with people outside the immediate family is thought to have impacted expressive language development.
Motor skills for the children were found to be in line with pre-pandemic age-based norms. The study acknowledges limitations, including its observational nature, which prevents definitive conclusions about cause and effect, and the absence of a matched comparison group. Additionally, reliance on parent or caregiver reports for executive functioning and motor skills could be subject to bias. The sample, while diverse in demographics, was self-selected and consisted of families with higher educational attainment than the general English population.
The researchers emphasized the importance of continued monitoring of this cohort and suggested that additional resources may be necessary for interventions in schools and families to support the executive function needs of these children.