Research is emerging that some babies are developing differently than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic — not because of exposure to Covid itself, but likely because of stress and social isolation.
Children born during the pandemic have reduced verbal, motor and overall cognitive performance compared to those born pre-pandemic, according to a study at Brown University that is awaiting peer-review and publication.
A team of researchers at Columbia University report pandemic babies scored lower on social and motor screening tests at 6 months.
And, in separate studies, Canadian researchers report increased risk of developmental delays among 1-year-olds born between April and November 2020 and a link between higher levels of distress experienced by pregnant women during the pandemic and changes in their babies’ brains. (The studies are also awaiting peer review.)
Many families have endured terrible disruption and loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s going to take a long time to assess the full impact, said James Griffin, chief of the child development and behavior branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.
Griffin encourages parents and caregivers to interact and get out with their young children as much as possible, rather than worrying too much. And experts urge families not to panic or assume their children will have a problem.
This story about pandemic babies was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.
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