These findings may reflect the second and third order consequences of mandatory non-pharmaceutical interventions such as lock-downs, masking, & school/daycare/work closures - which are likely to have a greater impact on poor or uneducated families who lack the resources to effectively compensate for such changes.<p>Highlights from OP and the cited paper (interesting limitation at the end):<p><i>> In a longitudinal study of 672 children from Rhode Island that has run since 2011, those born after the pandemic began showed results on the Mullen scales of early learning that corresponded to an average IQ score of 78, a drop of 22 points from the average of previous cohorts.</i><p><i>> We find that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic. </i> [1]<p><i>> In terms of effect size, lead author of the longitudinal study and paediatrician Sean Deoni said, “the closest thing we’ve seen in other research — and this is horrible, not a good comparison to be making — is the studies that were done of 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.” </i><p><i>> we find that males and children in lower socioeconomic families have been most affected </i> [1]<p><i>> “we do have some preliminary data that we’re working on in a separate study using miniature recorders which the infants wear on their chest which measure the interaction between the caregiver and the child, and what we are seeing, anecdotally, is a significant depression in the number of words spoken to kids and, as you can imagine, a massive increase in TV exposure, and a decline in meaningful conversations. Time spent engaged with a caregiver is way down.” </i><p><i>> Results highlight that even in the absence of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 illness, the environmental changes associated COVID-19 pandemic is significantly and negatively affecting infant and child development. </i><p><i>> One aspect also not investigated here is the impact of mask-wearing by the study staff during child visits and assessments. The inability of infants to see full facial expressions may have eliminated non-verbal cues, muffled instructions, or otherwise altered the understanding of the test questions and instructions.</i><p>[1] Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early Child Cognitive Development: Initial Findings in a
Longitudinal Observational Study of Child Health
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