CHICAGO — Some parents are now finding their children are playing catch up since the pandemic and learning more about how Covid impacted kids.

Speech and language therapists say they’re now treating children with developmental deficits born from Covid mitigations. From understanding facial cues to reading comprehension, experts say addressing the problems early is critical.

At Little Steps in Highland Park weekly speech sessions are mixed with occupational and physical therapy are helping 6-year-old Maranella make strides.

Josephine Giannelli is Maranella’s mother.

“Pre-covid we did have those issues, and Maranella has been in therapy since she’s been two and a half years old,” she said. “Since the pandemic we’ve noticed her a little more delayed.”

Paige Cianciolo is a speech-language pathologist at Little Steps.

“Maranella has been working on those essential language skills — so understanding other people’s facial expressions, understanding other people’s emotions,” she said. “We weren’t able to experience those normal interactions with kids and we weren’t able to problem solve. We were on screens or we were just isolated. So that just caused a big delay from our little ones all the way up to high school.”

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In a large, on-going study of child neurodevelopment, researchers at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital found children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic.

“Every age is affected in their own way,” Cianciolo said.

In babies, it might be establishing eye contact, joint attention, play skills or speaking first words. For pre-school and school-aged children, articulation or speech sounds and expressive and receptive language skills may be impacted, including reading comprehension or the ability to express wants and needs. Older kids may experience deficits in social language skills.

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“It’s our ability to have conversations, understand people’s facial expressions understand

other’s point of views,” Cianciolo said.

“You just can’t read what your friend is feeling,” Giannelli said. “You can’t read what your friend’s facial expressions are when you can’t see their mouth.”

While masks can hinder facial cues, speech therapist Cianciolo says isolation plays a critical role.

“We pick up so much from people’s facial expressions even our body language too, so I think the pandemic played a big role in that for her,” she said.

More Coverage: WGN’s Medical Watch
Now, the 6-year-old is learning to express herself before frustration sets in.

“When you see it prior to a pandemic and then you have a pandemic and see that regression you say we really need to help her though it,” Giannelli said.

Clinicians with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association say reasons for the lag in development are likely multifaceted and they encourage concerned parents to seek an evaluation from a local early intervention program or school.


LINK: https://wgntv.com/news/medical...-treating-issues-ste

Not to derail the thread, but my dog really hated people wearing masks. I'm pretty sure it was because she couldn't read their expressions and she'd bark at them and back away from them.

People who didn't wear masks didn't bother her a bit.

^^^ very simply that dogs are highly situational. Nothing more.

Plenty of dogs deal differently w/ environmental changes. Dogs queue off a million things.

I’ve seen tons of dogs recently, cope with masks to varying degrees. Most do not mind if you act normally to them. Your dog might just be reading you.

——-

I refuse to comply with mask rules unless I am absolutely compelled; I.e. surgery.

We have two granddaughters, 4 and 2 roughly. The older one went to pre-school where a mask was required for a while; the younger born during COVID.

Somewhat surprising for me, the younger girl is making more rapid development in speech and socialization than her older sister, although the difference could be due to anxiety in the older girl, and she had evidence of that pre-COVID.

I'm sure many kids are severely affected; I'm glad my granddaughters were not older and did not have to go through tele-schooling. I read that older kids are not interested in doing schoolwork.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
^^^ very simply that dogs are highly situational. Nothing more.

Plenty of dogs deal differently w/ environmental changes. Dogs queue off a million things.

I’ve seen tons of dogs recently, cope with masks to varying degrees. Most do not mind if you act normally to them. Your dog might just be reading you.

——-

I refuse to comply with mask rules unless I am absolutely compelled; I.e. surgery.

She never saw me with a mask on, so she wasn't reading me. It was just other people.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
CHICAGO — Some parents are now finding their children are playing catch up since the pandemic and learning more about how Covid impacted kids.

Correction: How lockdowns and restrictions enacted by government officials and lab coat tyrants impacted kids. The virus had nothing to do with it.

We have not seen "peak damage" from this over-reaching shit show.

It will be many years before it is fully realized, and yet, the numbers of those that did and will continue to buy and spread the lies will abound.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
^^^ very simply that dogs are highly situational. Nothing more.

Plenty of dogs deal differently w/ environmental changes. Dogs queue off a million things.

I’ve seen tons of dogs recently, cope with masks to varying degrees. Most do not mind if you act normally to them. Your dog might just be reading you.

——-

I refuse to comply with mask rules unless I am absolutely compelled; I.e. surgery.

She never saw me with a mask on, so she wasn't reading me. It was just other people.

O/T

It’s not about whether you have a mask on or not … Lol

Suggesting your body language is easily read by your dog. Your breathing, your pace; subconscious stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
^^^ very simply that dogs are highly situational. Nothing more.

Plenty of dogs deal differently w/ environmental changes. Dogs queue off a million things.

I’ve seen tons of dogs recently, cope with masks to varying degrees. Most do not mind if you act normally to them. Your dog might just be reading you.

——-

I refuse to comply with mask rules unless I am absolutely compelled; I.e. surgery.

She never saw me with a mask on, so she wasn't reading me. It was just other people.

O/T

It’s not about whether you have a mask on or not … Lol

Suggesting your body language is easily read by your dog. Your breathing, your pace; subconscious stuff.

Okay, so what are you saying? That somehow I was reacting to people with masks and that caused her to bark at them? I don't think so. I don't particularly care if anyone wears a mask or not.

It would sure be interesting to conduct a longitudinal study on school-aged kids comparing the developmental trends of kids under lockdowns versus kids who were not. I think we can accurately predict what the results will be so its doubtful that any study of this sort will be conducted.

From what I’ve been told by teachers is that student apathy is off the charts.

Silent

I would hope this is being done, as the damage is also in the social sphere particularly with young chidren.