Coronavirus: Children born in COVID pandemic lack communication skills, new study finds

Doctors and researchers are studying the impact of maternal COVID-19 infection on short-term and long-term aspects of maternal-fetal health, including neurodevelopmental outcomes in the baby.

Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, can lead to a wide range of challenges such as impaired cognition, communication, adaptive behavior, and psychomotor skills.

A study published in JAMA Network Open on October 28 attempted to find whether neurodevelopmental outcomes during infancy are changed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meta-analysis of 8 studies included studying 21, 419 infants. They found that 7% of infants who had neurodevelopmental screening during the COVID-19 pandemic were at risk of neurodevelopmental impairment.

Further, 12% of those with gestational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 were at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment. The researchers found that communication impairment had a significantly increased risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In simple terms, the researchers found that overall neurodevelopment in the first year of life was not changed by either being born or raised during the COVID pandemic or by gestational exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Despite no such major neurodevelopmental change or impact, the researchers saw that the offsprings were at a significant risk of communication delay in the first year of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of maternal infection.

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Paediatrician Jin Russell told 1news that there could be two main factors contributing to slow development of children in the pandemic.

"Firstly, there were just fewer opportunities for parents to take their babies out and we know that when we're out with babies that's when they tend to get exposed to a wider range of words, you know a larger vocabulary,” Russell said.

Talking about the impact of parental stress, Russell added, "But the other reason is because parents were under a lot of stress, there was less bandwidth, if you were a mum or dad at home trying to juggle work and home-schooling older children, you might have had much less time to be responsive to your baby."

Parents do not need to panic as at this young age, a child's brain is adaptable, Russell said. So despite the pandemic-related developmental challenges, there is still a lot that parents can do to help their young ones. "If we can provide the right kind of environment and stimulation, I have a lot of confidence that babies will be able to catch up."

Talking and singing to your child is important. Parents need to engage and communicate actively with their child, even if the child doesn’t don't speak or respond initially.

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It’s ok for your child to take some time to develop their communication skills. However, if you notice a lack of improvement or growth for a longer period of time, for instance if your child has turned two and they are not yet joining words together, then Russell suggests it is best to see their doctor for a diagnosis. The doctor can check your child’s hearing and make sure whether everything is fine for the child’s growth and development.