The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world in more ways than we can imagine. While our personal hygiene habits have certainly improved, the past year-and-a-half also brought questions regarding the long-term growth of children who’ve been barred from living a normal life for a long time.
From interacting with people to stepping out in public spaces without feeling like a germophobe, there’s a lot that children need to make their new normal.
And now, a new study highlights that there’s another way babies have been affected by the pandemic.
The study highlights the major implications of the pandemic on infants, which will determine the impact on a full generation of children in the long run.
Infant Cognitive Development Activities Lower In Babies Born During Pandemic
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The new study says that there’s a lower rate of infant cognitive development activities in babies born during the pandemic, as compared to those who were born before March 2020. These activities include cognitive, verbal and motor skills that could be affected in newborns.
Researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in the US state that babies born during the pandemic are developing differently than those who were born before.
The researchers found that children born after March 2020 showed less than the normal verbal, motor and cognitive skills when compared to children born earlier.
The study defined these activities as:
- Verbal skills: This is when kids use words to share information with other people and can be in spoken or written format.
- Motor skills: This is when the child has the ability to learn a movement or physical skill that requires hand-eye coordination.
- Cognitive skills: This includes the child’s ability to think, read, learn, memorise, pay attention and more.
The study included children between the ages of three months and three years. At large, it concluded that children born before the start of the pandemic demonstrated stronger patterns of development in all areas.
Those born after the pandemic began showing results on the Mullen scales of early learning that correspond to an average IQ score of 78. Compared to the average from previous years, that’s a drop of 22 points.
Researchers have been conducting a longitudinal study since 2011. This year, the study included a total of 672 children.
Study Did Not Include Mothers And Children Infected By Covid-19
However, do note that the lower cognitive abilities are not a direct result of the Covid-19 infection. The researchers largely ruled out mothers and children with a history of testing positive for Covid-19.
The authors say that reduced interaction with parents and less outdoor exercise is one of the reasons for the low cognitive abilities in post-pandemic babies.
Furthermore, scores were lower among male participants as well as children born to families with lower socio-economic backgrounds.
In contrast, children born in 2019 did not experience a decline in development scores during the pandemic.
Sean Deoni of Brown University, lead author of the longitudinal study and paediatrician said, “[Babies born in 2019] Their trajectories of maturation were unaltered. They seemed to be doing all right. It’s really affecting those born during the pandemic, whether through transference from their mother, what she’s experiencing during late-term pregnancy, or during those crucial earliest months after birth.”
The study further concluded that the developmental deficit was significant in children in 2021 over 2020. This included an early learning composite measured that fine and gross motor control, visual reception, and expressive and receptive language.
Moreover, the test concluded that the effect was larger in boys than girls.
Results Identical To Study Involving Orphans In Romania
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Deoni further said that the results were depressing to a large extent. In terms of size, the results compared to the studies done on orphans in Romania.
“The effects of institutionalisation and lack of interaction on them were profound, but what we’re seeing here is on par with that,” he added.
In the mid-1960s, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu believed that 25 million was the ideal population of the country. He encouraged families to bear more children and increase the population count from then 19 million.
In this process, citizens abandoned hundreds and thousands of children at state orphanages. Here, many children spent most of the day in cots, staring at the ceiling.
However, the study did not directly measure the time spent interacting between family members. The researchers though do have some preliminary data and are working on it in a separate study. They are using miniature recorders that the infants wear on their chests.
Less Engagement Between The Caregiver and The Baby
This measures the interaction between the caregiver and the child. However, Deoni did note that there is a massive increase in TV exposure and a decline in meaningful conversations.
These have contributed to the decline in time the baby spends engaged with a caregiver.
A similar study from September 2020 also highlighted a similar issue with babies born during the pandemic. The results published in the Journal of Pediatrics noted the importance of interaction and socialisation for personal development.
The study said that the following factors contributed to an infant cognitive development activities during the pandemic:
- Isolation from friends and family
- Unhealthy food choices
- Reduced physical activity
- School closures
- Changes in daily routine
- Financial troubles at home
- Excessive screen time
This was particularly in younger children but has been compromised by isolating policies.
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